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.

A 'Curious' New Report on Pedestrian Behavior in Public Spaces
The Seattle Department of Transportation recently released its first-ever public life study.

Report: $14 Billion New Orleans Flood System, Completed Less Than a Year Ago, Already Obsolete
The Army Corps of Engineers is already assessing the needs of repair work on a project it completed in May 2018 at the cost of $14 billion.

Who's to Blame for Gentrification? Planners, Apparently
Capital City casts planners as lackeys, serving the forces of capitalism.

Apartment Units Fill Fastest in Seattle
Demand for housing in and around Seattle is way up—so much so that the region led the entire country in the number of apartments it has filled so far this year.

Motivations of Proposed Federal Housing Rules Questioned
Reports of a new federal program designed to cut the waiting list for public housing was greeted incredulously from housing advocates this week.