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.

Two Presidential Candidates, Two Approaches to Housing Policy
The Biden and Trump campaigns are from different worlds on housing policy, according to this analysis.

The Environment Hangs in the Balance on Election Day
Both the presidential election and numerous state and local ballot measures will determine the future of environmental policy in the United States.

Coronavirus and the Future of Cities: A Final Pre-Election Tour of the Issues
This is Planetizen's seventh collection of articles on the subject of the future of cities in the wake of the pandemic, and how cities and communities are changing plans to respond to the many changes that world has experienced in 2020.

New Details for Portland's Transit Plan as Voters Head to the Polls
Voters in Portland-area voters will decide on a transportation funding measure for the "Get Moving 2020" plan, with details of four bus rapid transit project targeted for funding announced within weeks of the election.

Transit Spending on the Ballot in Seattle and Washington
Voters in the city of Seattle will consider a sales tax to fund bus transit service, while voters around the state of Washington will have a chance to send new leaders to Congress.