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.
Calling on the Federal Government to Legalize Main Street
On the heels of the Obama Administration's Housing Development Toolkit, Jonathan Coppange examines how federal policy has distorted the housing market.
Cincinnati Leadership Trades Barbs Over Streetcar Frequencies
The popularity of the new Cincinnati Streetcar—known officially as the Bell Connector—has been tempered by poor performance on contractually mandated 15-minute headways.
Are Texans Driving Less? Depends on Who You Ask
Local and regional transportation planners responded skeptically to data from the Texas Department of Transportation showing Texans driving less.
New Orleans Leverages New Federal Housing Rule as Gentrification Tool
New Orleans is among the first cities to respond to the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Affirmatively Furthering Affordable Housing rule.
San Francisco's Mission Bay Provides a Case Study for Sea-Level Rise
The San Francisco Chronicle's John King continues his ongoing, in-depth coverage of sea-level rise and its potential impacts on local and regional concerns in the San Francisco Bay Area.