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.
Housing Market Failing Black Millennials
"The gap between white and black home ownership is the widest since the New Deal."
An Affordable Housing Plan Takes Shape in Atlanta
The "One Atlanta Housing Affordability Action Plan" would protect or create 20,000 affordable homes in Atlanta.
'Smart Cities' and Surveillance
The big city isn't such an anonymous place anymore.
Another Mega-Project Coming to Downtown Toronto
Developers are betting on the continued shift of office work from the suburbs to downtown in Toronto, as the city experiences a building boom to support brisk business in the technology and financial-services industries.
An International Design Competition Reveals New Plans for Detroit's Cultural Center
Dubbed "Detroit Square," the newly revealed designs for ten blocks around 12 cultural and educational institutions will redesign the public realm for the human scale.