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.

Critiquing Uber's Cross-Border Service from San Diego to Baja California
In Mach, Uber launched Passport, a service allowing cross-border service from San Diego to any location in the northern Baja California region. A columnist's experiment with the service reveals more PR effort than mobility service.

A Few Big Cities Lead the Economic Recovery
As the debate about whether people prefer to live in the suburbs or the big city rages on, data from the U.S. Census reveals a clear preference on the part of economic trends in the wake of the Great Recession.

Is This the Trinity Park Plan of Dallas' Dreams?
Architecture critic Mark Lamster finally sees a proposal worth cheering for in Dallas' plans for a new park along the Trinity River.

Ontario, Canada Working on Sprawl-Killing Legislation
It's hard to imagine a policy that so comprehensively acts to create disincentives for sprawl gaining political traction anywhere in the United States.

Explained: D.C. Gains '1,000 New Residents Every Month'
Officials and residents in Washington, D.C. are often heard saying that the District is gaining 1,000 new residents every month. But what does it mean?