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.
The Revitalizing Power of Alleys
Cities around the country are implementing alley improvement programs as a tool for neighborhood revitalization, with benefits to the economy and the environment. A recent article celebrates the strides cities have made in reclaiming alley spaces.
'Senior Villages' Gaining National Popularity
Reflecting a growing desire by seniors to live at home and stay in their lifelong neighborhoods, so-called ‘senior villages” are marshaling support and resource networks so seniors around the country can age in place.
A Discussion About the Post-Gentrification Discussion
“At this point I’m battling gentrification fatigue,” proclaims Dax-Devlon Ross, who has written extensively about his experiences as a self-proclaimed “black gentrifier” in West Harlem.
Recession Surprise—Net Migration Still Favors the Inland Empire Over Los Angeles
The Inland Empire—suburban and exurban counties located to the east of Los Angeles—experienced some of the worst impacts of the housing crisis and recession. Yet, people still arrived there in droves during the recession.
Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge Opens in St. Louis
The Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge opened to vehicle traffic over the weekend. The 1,500-foot cable-stayed span across the Mississippi River is touted as a traffic relief infrastructure.