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.
Seattle Suburb Plans its Civic Core
The city of Renton, Washington recently approved a Civic Core Vision and Action Plan.
Surprise: Department of Justice Fights for an Expanded National Monument in Oregon
The U.S. Department of Justice is fighting a lawsuit that would overturn a decision by the Obama Administration to expand the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon.
Wanted in Atlanta: A Department of Transportation
While the Atlanta Department of City Planning includes a Office of Mobility Planning that spearheads efforts to provide new opportunities for non-automobile modes of transportation, the city lacks a consolidated transportation department.
Study: Scooters Are Really Popular
The narrative of electric scooter users as affluent, entitled, and "tech bro-y" does not reflect the demographics of fans of the new mobility technology, according to a new study. Electric scooters are actually very popular.
California Awards $2.7 Billion to Water Storage Facilities
The California Water Commission made an historic commitment to new water storage projects. Many of the largest projects planned in the state will require additional funding before construction can commence.