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.

D.C. Metro to Consider Reduced Rail Service Hours After SafeTrack Concludes
What was thought to be a temporary end to late night weekend service could become a permanent reality on the tracks of Metrorail.

Google Maps Adds New 'Areas of Interest' Overlay
A new Google Maps redesign hopes to help make it easier to explore your surroundings. As with everything based on a mobile phone, the potential exists that it might also help ignore your surroundings.

Pondering the Continued Existence of the 'Rust Belt'
A recent spate of articles has pondered the concepts and planning strategies at work in the region of the country described as the Rust Belt.

Vancouver to Tax Foreign Real Estate Investments
Big news has emerged from British Columbia, where the government has been criticized for not doing more to address the housing affordability crisis.

Debating Elon Musk's Second 'Master Plan'
When Elon Musk talks, lots of people listen. Some also respond.