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.
Oakland Wants to Make Space for Fourplexes
The city of Oakland in the East Bay Area is a hotbed of planning and development issues, most notably gentrification and the displacement of communities of color. Now the city is considering a drastic change to its zoning code.
Bus Stop Balancing, Explained
Pierce Transit, which serves Pierce County in Washington State, is undertaking a bus stop balancing project intended to speed up bus service. They're also doing the work of explaining why a reduction of bus stops is desirable, or even necessary.
Partisan Clustering at the Neighborhood Level
Forget red state versus blue state: a new data analysis and mapping project by The New York Times shows that the political divides in the country can be mapped to the neighborhood level within metropolitan areas.
House Bill Would Provide $41 Billion for High-Speed Rail Grants
The "American High-Speed Rail Act" would provide $41 billion in grants and incentives for an additional $38 billion in funding for high-speed rail projects in the United States.
Debating Atlanta's 'City Design Housing' Reform Movement
One of the most ambitious zoning reform efforts in the country is still in early stages, and the public has taken notice.