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.
Streetcar Extension Plan Approved in Atlanta
The transit map is being redrawn in Atlanta.
Debating the Idaho Stop in the Nation's Capital
Rhetoric from both sides of the issue is on display as Washington, D.C. considers a new law allowing bike riders to treat stop signs as yield signs.
Local Parks Provide $140 Billion in Economic Activity
Parks aren't always justified in economic terms, but a new report finds $140 billion reasons why parks are a positive addition to local communities.
Report: Most New Rental Units Affordable Only for the Wealthy
A new report from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies adds to what seems, at this point, like a tsunami of bad news for rental housing affordability.
Development Debate Draws Political Lines in Massachusetts
A Boston Globe columnist comes down strongly in favor of a mixed-use project in a Boston suburb, and laments the obstacles facing smart growth in this and other, similar, communities.