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.
Lessons From Helsinki's Failed On-Demand Bus Experiment
Kutsuplus—an attempt to "reinvent carpooling for the algorithm age"—has failed in Helsinki. What can new systems, still operating in the United States, learn from its example?
Miami-Dade Reports Leaking Wastewater from Turkey Point Nuclear Plant
The bad news for Biscayne Bay is the latest in a string of bad news for the Turkey Point nuclear plant.
Another Coal Project Bites the Dust
Arch Coal's plans to develop a mine in Otter Creek Valley, east of Billings, is the latest casualty in the death throes of the coal industry.

Manhattan's Glut of Condos Now a Glut of Apartments
Despite concerns than foreign investors would snatch up expensive condo properties around Manhattan, keeping the supply our of reach of local renters, analysts report rental prices are dropping as new supply enters the market.
Accounting for Seasonal Variations in Transportation Mode
People use different transportation systems depending on the time of year, yet transportation planning rarely accounts for this seasonal variation.