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.
Charlotte's North Tryon Vision Plan Focuses on People, Not Cars
Charlotte's North Tryon Vision Plan is "among the more ambitious long-term urban planning projects in American cities," this article. Released in 2015, the plan's work is not done.
Did Humans Exacerbate the Red Tide Devastating Florida's Beaches?
A particularly devastating red tide is ravaging the southwest Florida coast. The question of whether humans have caused the intensity of the event is still up for debate, according to this article.
SoCal Gas to Pay $119.5 Million for Aliso Canyon Gas Leak
The settlement closes another chapter in the saga of the methane leak that caused an evacuation of a corner of Los Angeles from October 2015 to February 2016.
California Protects its 15th Wild and Scenic River
Conservationists got a little help from some perhaps surprising sources in winning a designation for the Mokelumne River as the latest Wild and Scenic River in California.
The Vancouver Model of Traffic Safety Includes Trees
Vancouver combined environmental goals and traffic safety goals.