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.
Single-Family Zoning on the Cutting Block in Bloomington, Indiana
Move over Minneapolis. An Indiana college town joins the avant-garde of planning innovation by nearing the finish line with a new Unified Development Ordinance that would allow duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in single-family neighborhoods.
High-Speed Rail Connecting Atlanta to Charlotte Studied
The Georgia Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration recently released a draft study of a plan to link Atlanta and Charlotte via high-speed rail.
New Life for the Longaberger Basket as a Luxury Hotel
A completely singular example of adaptive reuse could be delivered a gift basket in Newark, Ohio.
Friday Funny: The Beach Boys Weren't Talking About Kokomo, Indiana
Aruba is real. Jamaica is real. Bermuda, Bahama, Key Largo, and Montego are all real. There is no Kokomo located off the Florida Keys, however, as promised by a famous song by the Beach Boys.
The Universal Need for Better Sidewalks
The "8 Principles of Sidewalks" guide has been translated from Portuguese to English and is available to download.