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.
Colorado Foreclosures Hit Ten-Year Low
Foreclosures, the defining signifier of the Great Recession for many Americans, are coming to a screeching halt in Colorado. In fact, the state’s foreclosure rate improved at about twice the national average between 2012 and 2013.
Distributed Solar Sparks ‘War of Business Models’
Threatened by the increasingly diverse electricity generation market, more utilities are pushing back on incentives for rooftop solar, such as net-metering credits.
S.F. Politicos Pitch Housing Crisis Measures
A trio of elected officials—Mayor Ed Lee, Supervisor Scott Weiner, and Supervisor Eric Mar—have proposed policy measures to alleviate the housing affordability crisis in San Francisco.
Zoning Change Clears Way for Urban Farming in Boston
The urban farming movement won a big victory recently in Boston, where new zoning regulations allowed for the creation of certain kinds of commercial farms within city limits.
Friday Funny: Coors Light Party Train Crashes in Kansas
The always-irreverent satirical news site The Onion produced a fake report about a crash involving the Coors Light Party Train in Pratt, Kansas, where miraculously materializing Coors Light cans are complicating rescue efforts.