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.
What a Megacity with 107 Million People Looks Like—via SimCity
Writing for Motherboard, Derek Mead details what it took for a particularly ambitious SimCity player to build a city of 100 million people.
Road Diet Plans Shelved for San Francisco's Ocean Beach
After two years of work, SPUR's proposals for the Ocean Beach Master Plan are still taking shape. A road diet for vehicle lanes on the Great Highway, for instance, was recently shelved for the good of other pressing priorities.
Dire Economic Fallout Expected from Atlantic City Casino Closures
Casinos in Atlantic City are closing quickly, costing the local economy 5,700 jobs and leaving the city with four large, empty buildings of a variety that offers little or no precedent for reuse.
Evictions Increase as Renters Struggle to Compete
Shaila Dewan details the increasing rates at which renters all over the country forced from their homes by eviction.
How Families Can Benefit the Planning and Design of Cities
An August 19 article in the Washington Post took a tough stance on the value of families to urban settings. Here Bradley Calvert responds by describing how families provide opportunities for planners to rethink cities for the better.