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.

National Trust Releases its 27th Annual List of America's Most Endangered Historic Places
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has revealed its annual list of the most endangered places in the country. See anything you might miss when it's gone and can never come back?

What Can a 'Science of Cities' Offer Planners?
Research across a range of fields is beginning to offer useful new guidance for planning policy and practice—and pointing the way to more effective "bottom-up" strategies.

'Consider the Traffic Light'
Dan Saffer asks us to consider the traffic light—and there's plenty to think about.

The Case Against Clogging the Left Lane
June is "Lane Courtesy Month," and Vox used the occasion to describe the sometimes counter-intuitive reasons why drivers should refrain from driving in the left lane except when passing.
Why Would Anyone Want a Smart Home?
A tech columnist reviews the current state of smart home technology and finds that improvements will be necessary before widespread adoption can be expected.