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.
When Does a Public Space Plan Rely Too Much on Pavement?
The debate leading up to the recent approval of the Arlington County, Virginia Public Spaces Master Plan reveals the competing pressures on park planning in 2019.
How Mega-Project Financing Tools Gerrymander Distressed Communities
The developers of Hudson Yards received $1.2 billion in financing from the EB-5 program, all made possible by a map that gerrymandered the project into the same neighborhood as Harlem public housing.
Tax Relief as an Affordable Housing Boost
The city of New Orleans needs approval from the State Legislature and the state's voters before it can implement tax relief measures meant to give more first-time homebuyers access to the housing market.
Street Design Principles by Sidewalk Labs
Sidewalk Labs, a smart cities shop within the Alphabet corporate structure, is working to revolutionize technology's role in city planning. Sidewalk Labs recently released the street design principles it's using to guide that effort.
New Developments Must Be EV Ready in Seattle
It's not the same as requiring that all new development have charging facilities and parking spots for electric vehicles, but it's close.