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.
Study: Bureaucracy Restricts Housing Supply
A recent study by Trulia concentrates on elasticity (i.e., the rate at which housing stock grows, relative to demand), and arrives at the conclusion that bureaucracy, not regulation, is responsible for rising housing prices.
Study: Land Use Regulation Restricts Housing Supply
A new paper studies the impacts both of specific land use regulations and land use regulations in the aggregate.
A Case Study of Rural Gentrification
Concepts like erasure, greenfield development, and easements figure into this story about a rural community on the fringes of suburban development in Maryland's Montgomery County.
Five Ideas for the Future of Houston Transit
The new board chair of Houston's Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County recently shared her ideas for the future of the transit agency.
Fallout Over Expired Tax Abatement Program Grows in New York City
When the state allowed the 421-a tax abatement program to expire in January, the city of New York lost a key tool for development in the city. Now scuttled developments are blaming their demise on the lack of 421-a.