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.
One House, Many Possible Square Footages
Here's a surprising anecdote from the real estate market: there's no right way to measure square footage.
Oroville Dam Repair Costs Still a Confusing Secret
The Mercury News issues a pointed critique of the public relations efforts at the California Department of Water Resources in the shadow of this winter’s Oroville Dam crisis.
San Francisco's Plans for Market and Van Ness Reach a Crossroads
San Francisco Chronicle urban design critic John King reveals more than one layer of planning significance from a project proposed near one of the city's most prominent, but underutilized, intersections.
Drive Safely: Traffic Safety in Short Supply the Monday After Daylight-Saving Time
Another reason to hate the Monday after daylight-saving time goes into effect: a spike in the number of car crashes and traffic fatalities.
Transit Agencies Struggling to Predict Ridership, Even as They Raise Fares
At transit agencies like D.C, Metro, bad ridership projections beget bad fare scheduling which begets bad budgets. And so on.