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.
Staten Island Expressway Gains a Lane
The Staten Island Expressway is expanding in the name of congestion relief.
U.S. Automakers Have Been Undermining Climate Science Since the 1960s, Investigation Reveals
It's been 50 years since researchers at General Motors and Ford Motor Co. warned the automakers about the effects of auto emissions on the planet's climate.
Tracking the COVID-19 Eviction Crisis
Advocates have sounded alarms since the pandemic's outset about the potential for unprecedented waves of evictions as Americans deal with the economic consequences of the pandemic, but authoritative real-time data on the rental market is lacking.
Revised Plans for Massive 'Ike Dike' Plan Revealed
A $26.2 billion proposal to protect the coastal area around Galveston has evolved since its first iteration in 2018.
$160 Million in Bond Funding for Demolitions on the Ballot in Detroit
Proposal N, on the ballot for Detroit voters next week, will provide $160 million in bond funding for demolitions and $90 million to mothball homes for future rehab, but, according to this opinion, it won't solve the city's blight challenges.