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.

The U.S. Has a New Center: Hartville, Missouri
The center cannot hold.

San Diego Removes Some Commercial Parking Requirements
After approving parking reforms for swaths of residential areas in the city in 2019, the city of San Diego is expanding the effort to select commercial areas in the city.

Driver Shortages and Service Reductions: The Crisis in Public Transit Continues
While transit systems around the country had reason to celebrate the new funding made available in the federal infrastructure bill, long-term concerns about operational capacity have not been resolved.

$300 Million in Train Station Improvements Coming to Atlanta
Work on MARTA's Rail Station Rehabilitation Program will continue over several years, with some big changes for Downtown Atlanta included in the plan.

Which Cities Are Upzoning?
A recent study surveyed 800 jurisdictions in 50 U.S. metropolitan areas to quantify the amount of change in zoning regulations throughout the 21st century so far.