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.

Home Builders Creating Space for Nontraditional Households
At a building industry trade show held last week, the new trend was for houses constructed with extra space for renters or extended family. In other words, depreciation comes standard.
There's More Than One Way for Energy Efficiency Goals to Fail
A heated political battle over funding for the Washington State Building Code Council shows how legislated mandates for energy efficiency must also fund regulators to back them up.
Political Battles Heating Up Over Affordable Housing in San Francisco
An affordable housing ballot measure opposed by affordable housing advocates: welcome to the strange housing politics of San Francisco.
Planning After the 1666 Great Fire of London
Revisiting a collected effort to reshape one of the world's most famous cities after a catastrophic disaster.
City of Spokane Could Vote on Transit Funding After Failed Countywide Measure
Following in the footsteps of Seattle, which recently followed a similar narrative arc, the city of Spokane will go back to the ballot for transportation funding, leaving the county of Spokane to its own devices.