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.
Opinion: Close National Parks During the Shutdown
The consequences of allowing the public free access to national parks without any supervision or maintenance operations are to great a risk, according to a former director of the National Park Service.
Tax Deal Clears the Way for Seattle's Grand Waterfront Park Plans
A proposed waterfront plan has secured the necessary funding to move forward in Seattle, pending City Council approval.
Birds of Passage: Quantifying Jacobs's Gloom
While the debate continues unabated on the influence of the physical and land use characteristics of a city on crime, a critical aspect is left out: resident transience. Jacobs took notice and feared its negative influence. Was she right?
Massachusetts Finally Enacts Tax of Short-Term Rentals
The Massachusetts Legislature approved a tax on short-term rentals in July 2018 only to have Governor Charlie Baker amend the bill. The amendments proved only a temporary setback.
How the New L Train Repair Plan Will Work
After the initial shock of Governor Andrew Cuomo's cancellation of the planned L Train closure subsided, analysis and commentary rolled in.