James Brasuell, AICP is the former editorial director of Planetizen and is now a senior public affairs specialist at the Southern California Association of Governments. James managed all editorial content and direction for Planetizen from 2014 to 2023, and was promoted from manging editor to editorial director in 2021. After a first career as a class five white water river guide in Trinity County in Northern California, James started his career in Los Angeles as a volunteer at a risk reduction center in Skid Row. Prior to joining Planetizen, James worked at the Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design, as an editor at Curbed LA, as editor of The Planning Report, and as a freelance contributor for The Architect’s Newspaper, the Urban Land Institute – Los Angeles Chapter, FORM, KCET, and the California Planning & Development Report.
The Architecture at Zero Competition Imagines the Future of Net Zero Energy
The winners of the 2016 Architecture at Zero competition took a case study located in the fog-locked city of San Francisco and delivered a net-zero site plan for a mixed-use academic facility.
How a Portland Trailer Park Saved Itself from Redevelopment
Dozens of Portland trailer parks closed in the real estate bubble of the early 2000s, but in 2016, a group of tenants, the Housing Bureau, and an anti-displacement coalition worked to save one of the city's last places for very low-income renters.
Public Service Announcement: What Not to Do in the Event of a Flood
Many people don't realize it, but flooding is the most common weather-related disaster. What should people know about dealing with this persistent threat when it happens in their community?
After the Boom (and the Bust) in Marcellus Shale Country
Tioga County, Pennsylvania provides lessons of a post-oil-boom economy.
A New Twist for Downtown Dallas Big Box Proposal
A Dallas County judge threw a wrench in a controversial plan to build a 100,000-square-foot Sam's Club near Cityplace in Dallas.