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.

Not Refugees—Climate Change 'Pioneers'
A change of nomenclature shifts focus to the self-determination of residents relocating from the coast of Louisiana as rising seas inundate their homes.

BART Transit Oriented Development Bill Passed by State Senate
A controversial bill that would free BART to develop housing on the most transit oriented of development sites, its parking lots, has managed to clear the hurdles of the California Legislature.

Op-Ed: More MARTA Should Mean Less Poverty
With $2.5 billion in new transit funding generated by a half-cent sales tax, Atlanta has choices about the future of its public transit systems. One advocate says investments should target economic mobility for low-income communities.

Federal Transit Administration Awards $84.5 Million for Electric Buses
The Low- or No-Emission (Low-No) Grant program has awarded funding to encourage the "deployment of transit buses and infrastructure that use advanced propulsion technologies."

$489.6 Million Redevelopment of Former Sports Stadium Breaks Ground in D.C.
RFK Stadium, former home to professional football, soccer, and baseball teams, is done. A massive redevelopment has begun, starting with new sports fields for kids.