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.
Federal Safety Watchdog Takes a Position on Speeding Drivers
Streetsblog USA breaks the news of a major policy departure for the National Transportation Safety Board: speeding kills, and every level of government must do more to counter the problem.
Friday Funny: An Artist Makes Climate Change 'Look Awesome'
This kind of satire burns.
Manhattan's Midtown East Rezoning Wins Critical Approval
A City Council committee's approval of a proposed rezoning of Midtown East represents a big win for the de Blasio Administration. The Bloomberg Administration fell short in an efforts to upzone the neighborhood in 2013.
Trump Tells Residents to Leave Upstate New York
President Trump told Wall Street Journal reporters earlier this week that Upstate New York "isn't working," and residents should follow manufacturing jobs to other parts of the country.
New Pedestrian Crossing Between California and Mexico Opening Next Week
The latest in a series of new pedestrian crossings at the Mexico-U.S. border between San Ysidro and El Chaparral opens on July 31.