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.
White House Report on 'The State of Homelessness in America' Criticized
Shortly after a tumultuous visit to California focusing on the homelessness crisis in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Trump administration has released a report on homelessness that is already facing criticism.
A Guide to Universal Design in the Public Realm
New universal design guidelines go a step beyond complete streets.
The Psychic Forces of NIMBY Rage
With several years of contentious political debates, many surrounding homelessness, ravaging Seattle, a writer attempts to explain how the politics of city building got so heated.
'Heartening Promise' Found in a Massive East Bay Area Redevelopment Project
The city of Concord, home to 130,000 but often neglected in the public consciousness of the San Francisco Bay Area, could set new standards for master planning practices.
New Car-Free Public Space Remains a Challenge to Create
A new study from Drexel University's Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation surveys the obstacles and challenges making it more difficult to build car-free public spaces, like plazas and parklets, in Philadelphia.