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.
Emanuel Campaign Announces Neighborhood-Level Infrastructure Plans
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, busy on the campaign trail for re-election this week, made a big push for infrastructure investments at the neighborhood level.
Capital Bikeshare Exceeds Ridership Expectations in Montgomery County
The Capital Bikeshare system's push into the suburbs of Maryland surged back from an initial slow start.
San Francisco Outpaces its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Goals
Calling the news proof that "fighting climate change and growing a thriving economy can go hand-in-hand," San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced some substantial progress in greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
Senate Bill would Repeal Presidential Power to Designate National Monuments
S. 228—the National Monument Designation Transparency and Accountability Act of 2015—would limit the power of the president to designate national monuments.
Seattle's 'Urban Villages' Become Bedroom Communities
In a recent column for Crosscut, Knute Berger looks back on the 20-year history of the city's urban village strategy to inform its emerging reality as an "urban bedroom community."