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.

How the Triboro Line Could Improve Transit for Boroughs Not Named Manhattan
The Regional Plan Association presents the details of a plan to build a rail line connecting the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn: the Triboro Line.

Tampa Approves Big Riverfront Park Renovation
The Tampa City Council approved a big, ambitious park proposal for 23 neglected acres along the Hillsborough River.

Reflecting on Regional Planning—50 Years Later
The planning world celebrated Jane Jacobs's 100th birthday earlier this month, and has already begun commemorating the centennial of New York's first zoning code. But did you know regional planning rose to prominence 50 years ago?

Has Portland Lost its Way?
Oregon's poster child for livable planning is embroiled in new controversies over destructive growth, skyrocketing prices, and back-room cronyism.

The Controversial National Parks Proposal Dividing Maine's North Woods
The Washington Post provides feature-length coverage of an ongoing, long-lasting controversy over a proposal by a wealthy landowner to donate 87,500 acres for the purposes of creating a new national park.