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.
Starchitects Leaving Their Mark on the Vancouver Skyline
It hasn't always been like this, but in recent years, Vancouver has attracted international talent to design some of its splashiest new projects.
The End of a Urban Freeway—and an Era of Planning—in Rochester, New York
A project to fill-in the Inner Loop in Rochester, New York is underway. It took a lot of contemporary planning to undo this mistake of mid-century planning.
Montreal Gets Creative to Mitigate Construction Impacts
Concerned about the economic impacts of a four-year construction projects on the streets of Montreal, the city has solicited ideas for ways to keep people shopping.
Job Growth Accelerates in Urban Centers, Slows on the Periphery
City centers have caught up to suburbs in terms of economic performance, according to new analysis.
Study: Forest Fires Have Doubled in the Western United States
Wildfires ravaged the western United States again this year, reflecting the new normal of climate change.