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.
Waterfront Ballpark in Oakland a Tough Sell
Following unsuccessful attempts to move the Oakland Athletics to San Jose (an area controlled by the San Francisco Giants), team owner Lew Wolff is resistant to a plan to move the team to a waterfront location.
Pullman Historic District in Chicago Considered for National Park Status
Completed in 1880 as a company town by railcar tycoon George Pullman, the 300-acre Pullman Historic District in Chicago could be a beautiful addition to the National Park System.
Millennials and Cars: Would If They Could
Recent trends in declining car ownership, along with the Millennial generation’s widely-reported abhorrence for driving, have some wondering if the era of car dominance is over. But what if the decline just comes down to trouble paying the bills?
Boyd Theatre in Philadelphia Subject of Preservation Battle
Developers are seeking allowances to gut the historic Boyd Theatre in Philadelphia to build an eight-screen movie complex.
Slowing the Rush to Sell Historic Post Offices
Outcry over the potential sale of post offices in Berkeley and the Bronx has prompted those areas’ respective Congressional representatives to seek federal legislation to put the brakes on the Postal Service’s rush to sell historic properties.