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.
Friday Funny: Sprawl Can't Stop, Won't Stop
Imagine a built environment that starts from a central location of Scottsdale, Arizona, sprawling outwards until it covers 70 percent of all land on Earth.
Early Criticism for Gov. Cuomo's Penn Station Plans
The initial reviews are in for Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposal to expand and improve Penn Station. The consensus so far: the plan doesn't go far enough.
Philadelphia Awarded a Big Chunk of State Redevelopment Grants
About a fifth of a recent round of Pennsylvania's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) awards went to projects in Philadelphia, including the Reading Viaduct rail park project.
Pushing for Universal Access in the New Urban Agenda
The New Urban Agenda, which sets a new global strategy for sustainable urbanization, still has shortcomings regarding universal access for people with special needs.
An Economic Assessment of the Public Health Benefits of Bike Lanes
Bike lanes are considered a social intervention, and not directly medically related. But they are also proving to have an obviously positive effect on public health outcomes.