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.
Big Ideas Behind the Proposed Overhaul of the Los Angeles Bus System
A newly released proposal for overhauling Metro bus service in Los Angeles includes innovative and controversial measures. Included is a new metric for measuring the success of bus lines.
Obama Administration Adds New Clout to Fair Housing
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has released the details of the final rule for Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, which will give new strength to the goals set forth by the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
A Scathing Critique of the New Tappan Zee Bridge
A new book examines the convoluted history of one of the country's most controversial infrastructure projects.
Lessons for a Career's Worth of Community Engagement
Community engagement on planning subjects is fraught with the potential for boredom and political conflict. The former mayor of Chattanooga recounts lessons gained while combating those possibilities over a 40-year career.
Mountain Removal Coal Mining Down 62 Percent Since 2008
The mountains of West Virginia and Kentucky can much less likely to be stripped and gutted for the purposes of coal extraction that they were even a few years ago as natural gas continues its ascendance.