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 Case for Upzoning
The parallel crises of pollution and housing affordability require denser zoning of land uses, otherwise known as upzoning, according to this article.
Cracked Beams Repaired, S.F.'s Transbay Transit Center Ready to Reopen
Buses and people will soon return to the Transbay Transit Center, which operated for just over a month at the end of 2018 before structural flaws forced the closure of the facility for inspections and repairs.
Scrutiny for U.S. DOT Secretary Elaine Chao's Entangled Interests
The results of two recent investigations allege questionable ethical practices by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, connected to the secretary's family shipping business and marriage to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Which Cities Have the Most Breweries Per Capita
A new study reveals with cities have the most beer to go around.
Cities on the Verge of a Housing Crisis
This analysis of the largest metropolitan areas in the country reveals high housing prices spilling over into many parts of the country not located on the coasts.