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.

New Long-Range Transit Plan Adopted for Pittsburgh Area
A long list of transit projects is included in the NEXTransit long-range plan approved recently by the Port Authority of Allegheny County.

Bill Legalizing the Idaho Stop in California Waits for Governor's Signature
The Idaho Stop—allowing people on bikes to treat stop signs in empty intersections as yield signs—is gaining popularity around the country. Next (not quite) stop: California.

Opinion: St. Paul's Proposed Rent Control Law Would Halt New Development
Rent control is a popular response to the ongoing housing affordability crisis in many parts of the United States, but there is still a chorus of economists and planners who argue that rent control can do more harm than good to housing affordability.

Transit Goes Fare-Free for One Year in Albuquerque
Albuquerque will become one of the largest cities in the nation to launch a fare-free pilot program for transit riders.

Curbing Electronic Waste One George Foreman Grill at a Time
An Interview with East Atlanta's CoCo The Geek, who saw an increase in household electronic waste during the Covid-19 pandemic and decided to do something about it.