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.
Debating Improvements to the Community Reinvestment Act
The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 was the final of a suite of federal laws aimed at fighting racial segregation in housing. Congress is beginning to consider how best to modernize the act to meet the challenges of contemporary times.
Development Opponents Gaining Ground in New York City
According to this article in the New York Times, the days of development interests dominating the planning process in New York City are over.
Transportation Trends for 2020 (And What Cities Can Do About Them)
William Riggs, assistant professor at the University of San Francisco School of Management, predicts the trends that will continue an ongoing revolution in transportation.
Lessons in Architecture and Development Found in This Year's Oscar-Nominated Films
A pair of articles mine the films nominated for Academy Award for lessons in design and development that could potentially benefit housing equality.
Presidential Candidates Discuss the California Housing Crisis
Many of the Democratic candidates have offered housing policy plans as a key plank in their election platforms, but here a prominent YIMBY politician confronts them directly on the housing crisis in California.