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.
South Baltimore Gateway Master Plan to Pave Way for Sports and Entertainment District
The Baltimore Planning Commission will soon consider the South Baltimore Gateway Master Plan, which lays out a 20-year agenda to support a wave of entertainment development coming to the neighborhood.
Jersey City Bikeshare Launches; Hoboken's System on the Way
The New York Times recognizes the signs of urban biking's renaissance in the launch of bikeshare systems in New Jersey cities.
Calling for the Removal of Houston's Pierce Elevated Freeway
Houston's Pierce Elevated, a section of the I-45 freeway, is the latest target in the movement to remove urban freeways.
Attention Media: Neighborhoods Existed Before Gentrification
On the media's responsibility for narratives that enable displacement, rather than inclusion.
German Cities Rewrite Building Codes to Provide Homes for Refugees
Germany has reformed building codes in a marshaling of political will known as the "Culture of Welcome" for an expected one million refugees. German cities, many of them shrinking for decades, see the refugees as an opportunity and a responsibility.