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.
Cornell's $2 Billion Campus in New York Will 'Bridge' Academia and Corporations
The eagerly anticipated addition of a $2 billion campus for Cornell on Roosevelt Island will include a gesture toward the new model of innovation economy that directly connects universities with their cities.

Flooding Provides a Scare for Chicago's Two New Public Spaces
The damage could have been a lot worse, but surely flooding that temporarily closed down the Chicago Riverwalk and The 606 elevated bikeway will require additional evaluation by project planners and engineers.
10-Mile Bus Rapid Transit System Planned in Albuquerque
Albuquerque is working on a multi-modal reconfiguration of the old Route 66.
Kentucky Planners Against the Proliferation of LED Billboards
An op-ed from the Kentucky state chapter of the American Planning Association takes a strong stance against regulations that could allow the permitting of LED billboards along highways.
Ahead of Schedule: Detroit Wrapping Up Installation of 40,000 LED Streetlights
In perhaps the brightest sign yet of recovery, the Detroit Public Lighting Authority has made incredible progress on a project to install 40,000 LED streetlights around the city's residential neighborhoods.