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.

One Step Closer to Decriminalizing Fare Evasion in D.C.
The D.C. Council voted, 11-2, to decriminalize fare evasion on the D.C. Metro transit system. The council will have to vote one more time to confirm the new policy.

New Virginia Tech 'Innovation Campus' Helped Woo Amazon to Arlington
According to an announcement by Virginia Tech yesterday, their plans to build a $1 billion innovation campus in nearby Alexandria helped win the HQ2 prize for Northern Virginia.

Advocacy Groups Have Their Say on Portland's Central City in Motion Plan
A downtown transportation plan designed to prioritize "transportation for everyone" will come before

Op-Ed: Change the Bike Planning Calculus to Include Women's Safety
The gender gap in walking and biking is deep and wide in Seattle. Here's a call to action.

Speculation Leaves 50 Million Homes Empty in China
Experts say China has the highest vacancy rate on residential units of any country in the world. The roots of the problem lay in housing speculation, according to China's leaders.