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.
Dormitory Planning Takes a Turn Toward the Absurd at UC Santa Barbara
A controversy over a massive new dorm proposed for the University of California Santa Barbara, which comes with design strings attached by the donor paying for the new facility, has taken the Internet by storm.
Bringing the Case for Exclusionary Zoning Reform to Tennessee
The past, present, and future of zoning in Tennessee.
Budget Negotiations Force Retreat of Biden's Housing Ambitions
The Build Back Better agenda is in retreat—including much of the substance on a plan to spend $330 billion to tackle the nation's housing affordability crisis.
Boston City Council Approves Maximum Parking Ratios
An innovative set of zoning reforms have two more approvals left to become law.
Chicago Transit Authority Hopes to Entice Riders With Cheaper Fares
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in October proposed a $1.75 billion operating budget that will make it cheaper to ride transit in the Windy City.