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.

Visions of the Future Houston
An ongoing exhibition in Houston imagines a city on the cusp of a new, more prosperous future.

Local Solutions for Housing Affordability
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy recently published a report to identify local government actions to ensure stable and affordable places to live for everyone.

New Zoning Incentives for Grocery Store Developments Proposed in New York City
Transit accessibility incentives are also included in a package of zoning reforms proposed this week that would provide incentives for grocery store developments in a wider swath of New York City.

Pedestrian Safety Still Not a Priority in the United States
Dangerous by Design 2021 quantifies the transportation sector's ongoing neglect of the health and safety of people performing that basic human action of taking a walk.

Stories of Resilience From 2020
A year of intense challenges also offers a chance to break from the unsustainable, inequitable status quo.