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.

CityLab Sold to Bloomberg
A major shakeup of the urbanism media landscape was announced this week.

'HousingTO' Action Plan Calls for 40,000 Affordable Units in Ten Years
Questions about how Toronto will fund Mayor John Tory's ambitious affordable housing plan will be answered by the provincial and national governments.

'Growth Centers' for a More Even Distribution of Tech Industry Growth
A few regions have hoarded the growth of the tech innovation economy. A Brookings paper argues that Congress can help distribute tech innovation in growth centers around the Heartland of the United States.

1,000 Football Fields Worth of Trees Lost in Philadelphia Over a Decade
Philadelphia's new "Tree Canopy Assessment" both records the damage of the past decade and makes the case for a new path forward when in comes to prioritizing the city's tree canopy.

A 'Cascade' of Climate Tipping Points
Scientists are increasingly concerned that climate tipping points might "cascade" into multiple heating effects that does irrevocable damage to the planet.