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.

Proposed Safety Improvements in D.C.: Fewer Right Turns on Red Lights and 20 MPH Speed Limits
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed a slew of traffic safety changes, some of which could go into effect in early 2019.

The Uniquely Racial Dynamics of Gentrification in Atlanta
The Guardian published an in-depth exposé of the causes and effects of gentrification in the city of Atlanta.

Study: When Ride-Hailing Companies Enter the Market, Traffic Fatalities Increase
These aren't the ride-hailing outcomes we were promised.

Risky Business: Speculating on the Future of Location of Amazon's HQ2
Real estate investors are willing to gamble on the potential of the future location, still to be determined, of Amazon's second headquarters.

Oil Companies Set Fundraising Record in Opposing Washington's Carbon Tax
At some point you have to wonder which is more costly: the new tax or opposing the tax?