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.

L.A. City Councilmember Arrested, to Face Charges in Development Corruption Scheme
Longtime City Councilmember Jose Huizar was arrested at his home in Boyle Heights this morning, in the latest signal of a culture of corruption at Los Angeles City Hall.

Purple Line Contractors Haven't Walked Off the Job, Yet
The latest chapter in the ongoing saga of Maryland's Purple Line light rail hasn't yet turned the page.

TriMet to Redirect Funding for Transit Police
A new approach to public safety is in the works in Portland.
Dallas Development Proposal Would Include Tiny Homes, Workforce Training, and More
A case study of Dallas development and planning politics.

The 30-Year Mortgage Faces an Unprecedented Threat: Climate Change
The climate crisis will present more of an existential crisis to the traditional U.S. mortgage market than any previous financial crisis, according to some of the experts cited in the article.