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.
'Rebuild by Design' Winners Announced for New York and New Jersey Resilience
HUD announced the winners of the Rebuild by Design competition yesterday, awarding $920 million to six projects in New York and New Jersey. $335 million will go toward the first phase of a 10-mile protective barrier for Manhattan.
Despite Rejection of Residential High Rise, Houston Still Open to Density
A recent ruling that favored local homeowners over a developer in Houston had some wondering whether Houston's days as a "development free-for-all" were over. Fear not, says Stephen J. Smith.
Can Miami Change, or is Car Culture in its DNA?
Esteban Bovo, chair of the Miami-Dade County Finance Committee, recently provoked the ire of transit advocates when he said that car culture is in the DNA of Miami.
Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti Picks the First 15 'Great Streets'
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced $800,000 in funding for 15 "Great Streets" to be located around the city.
How 'Hipster Economics' Romanticizes Blight and Compounds Inequality
A recent article refutes arguments used to defend gentrification, and in so doing identifies a culprit in glossing over the negative effects of displacement in areas both urban and suburban: hipster economics.