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.
U.S. EPA Provides Guidance for Infill Development in Distressed Communities
Not every city is benefitting from downtown revitalization in the same way, so the U.S. EPA has released a new report offering strategies for in fill development in "distressed" communities.

The New Housing Crisis: Declining Homeownership, Increasing Rental Costs
Research from the Urban Institute identifies market and demographic trends that could mean a future housing market that will stand in stark contrast to the "subprime mania of the early 2000s."
Is Gentrification on Tap at Philadelphia's Pop-Up Beer Gardens?
Danya Henninger reports on the local controversy over a pop-up beer garden in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Point Breeze.
Questions About Operations of Cincinnati's Streetcar Still Need to Be Answered
The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) has been busy negotiating with bidders regarding the potential operations of the forthcoming Cincinnati streetcar.
High-Occupancy Toll Lanes on the Table for I-66 Inside the Beltway
The Virginia Department of Transportation is underway with public outreach on a proposed project to add HOT lanes on 1-66 inside the Beltway.