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.
Colorado Mountain Communities Line Up to Oppose Statewide Zoning Reforms
State preemption isn’t going over well with local government officials in the remote corners of Colorado.
Florida Law Bans Rent Control Statewide
The DeSantis administration has a signature housing bill. Florida has $711 million in funding for housing programs. Local governments have less power over zoning.
Lessons in Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
With HUD seeking comments on a revamped version of the Affirmatively Furthering fair Housing Rule, now is a good time to seek lessons from the one state to attempt to implement the federal rule at the state level.
Five Years Later: What Have Opportunity Zones Accomplished?
Two recent studies are among the first to attempt a comprehensive account of the effects of the Investing in Opportunity Program, one of the signature place-based policies of the Trump era.
Controversial Highway Widening Breaks Ground in Austin
Texas’ transportation priorities were on display in March—a few days after the gutting of a transit plan, a highway expansion broke ground depite years of local opposition.