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.
The Best-Selling Master Planned Communities of 2019
Real estate advisors RLCO released their end-of-the-year sales report for master-planned communities, completing a year of strong sales growth.
'Guardian Cities' Calls it Quits
Guardian Cities is closing shop after six years as a valued resource on the planning and urbanism Internet.
'Missing Middle Housing Act' Would Allow More Housing Options in Nebraska Residential Areas
The ranks of states considering or taking steps to override local control to allow new density in the residential neighborhoods of cities has swelled once again, this time with a state senator in Nebraska pitching statewide legislation.
Bill Would Allow Homeless Shelters to Skip Environmental Review in California
Environmental review required by the California Environmental Quality Act would no longer apply to the construction of homeless shelters under a law proposed in the California State Legislature.
U.S. DOT Reveals Latest Autonomous Vehicle Guidelines
The U.S. Department of Transportation, under fire for not doing enough to prevent an Uber self-driving car from killing a pedestrian in Tempe in 2018, has released the latest iteration of guidelines for autonomous vehicle technology.