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.
Mapping America's Toy Manufacturing
All those toys under the Christmas tree came from somewhere.
Google Searches Reveal Christmas Lists for 24 U.S. Cities
The New York Times Upshot and Google team up to reveal the top three most-searched holiday gift items for U.S. cities, revealing local and regional trends.
Santa Claus for Digital Natives
The death of suburban malls at the hands of online shopping is well documented. It turns out Santa also has a cyber proxy rendering the old way of doing things obsolete.
2014 in Review—Music About Places
A list of personal favorites—music that expressed more than research or rhetoric can about the places where we live, work, and play.
Los Angeles Lacking Data to Support Bike Infrastructure Investments
Los Angeles has added hundreds of miles of bike routes in recent years, but the local paper of record identifies a lack of data as contributing to ongoing discord from drivers who feel like they're being pinched by bike lanes.