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.
'Next Silicon Valley' Ambitions in Las Vegas
What will it take for Las Vegas to fulfill its ambitions to become a hub of the tech industry?
Formalizing Street Vending: A Los Angeles Case Study
The ongoing efforts to reform street vending laws in Los Angeles gained national media attention recently. Can local officials find a way to overcome controversy and complexity to legalize street vending this year?
Early Returns on Virginia's New HOT Lanes
Virginia opened 29 miles of high-occupancy toll lanes to business on December 29 of 2014. What lessons are drivers and policy makers taking from the ongoing test of the concept?
The Art and Science of the 'Starbucks Effect' in Real Estate
A guest column for Quartz reveals the "Starbucks Effect" on real estate values as well as the method to the coffee vendors success.
Survey: NIMBYism Declining as a Result of the U.K. Housing Crisis
A newly released report from a U.K. housing non-profit reports a "Staggering turn-around" in attitudes about housing—more specifically described as a sharp decline in NIMBYism.