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.

A New Vision for Density
The winning designs for the "Low Rise" design challenge offer an aspirational image of density for Los Angeles.

Return to Normal: New York City Resumes Overnight Subway Service
The COVID-19 pandemic stole some of the incredible benefits of living in New York City, but as of this morning, the overnight service that so many in the nation's largest city rely on is back.

New Amazon HQ2 Renderings Revealed
New details of the second phase of Amazon HQ2 in Northern Virginia were released last week ahead of a planning committee hearing.

Rail Deck Park a No-Go in Toronto
The Toronto Local Planning Appeal Tribunal chose a development project over the mayor's plan to build parkland over a downtown rail corridor.

Building on Recent Planning Success in Akron
Following the success of Planning to Grow Akron, spurring the development of thousands of housing units in the previously stagnant city, Planning to Grow Akron 2.0 will leverage federal stimulus funds to further stabilize the city's housing market.