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.

1100-Mile High Speed Rail Route Opens in China—Equivalent to Los Angeles to Seattle
China opened 32(!) new high speed rail routes this week, including a connection between Shanghai and Guanzhou equivalent to a trip between Los Angeles and Seattle.
Friday Eye Candy: 'The Secret Life of Buildings'
The latest edition of The Paris Review includes a portfolio of 16 images by Mark Yankus. The print publication was kind enough to provide a sample of these deeply texture images online.
Growing Suburbs for the Good for the World
The Economist has published a pair of feature articles examining the growth of suburbs around the world in the hopes of avoiding the mistakes of the West.

Calgary: Model of Transit and Automobile Planning Success
Yonah Freemark writes about the remarkable success of the boomtown of Calgary, Alberta—a city described as "a lot more like Dallas or Phoenix than Copenhagen."
High Line Designer Tapped for 'Presidio Point' Project in San Francisco
The landscape architecture firm behind the High Line in New York City has been awarded another high-profile contract—this time for "Presidio Point," overlooking Crissy Field in San Francisco.