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.

U.S. Homelessness Could Jump 45%, Study Says
Unemployment of historically devastating proportions will force people out of their homes and onto the streets, according to a new study by an economist at Columbia University in New York.

Citywide Elimination of Parking Minimums on Track in Edmonton
Edmonton, Alberta could be the first major Canadian city to eliminate parking minimums citywide—an ambitious and notable step for all North American cities.

Kanye West Makes More Permitting Trouble in Chicago
Kanye West is renovating his childhood home on the South Side of Chicago, but hasn't always had the permits to do the work until after the fact.

An Antiracist Planning and Policy Response to the Coronavirus
What would a crisis response that finally overcomes the history of slavery and structural racism in the United States look like?

$23.8 Billion More in Federal Relief Requested for Public Transit Agencies
U.S. transit agencies are hemorrhaging money as the majority of riders avoid trains and buses. People still need public transit, and public transit needs help to weather the storm.