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.

Why NFTs Matter to Urban Planning
With non-fungible tokens (NFTs) reshaping the art and collectibles world, city and regional planners can learn valuable lessons about ways to improve the management, organization, and sharing of information about the built environment.

North Portland in Motion Launches with Goals to Improve Walking, Biking, and Transit
The Portland Bureau of Transportation continues its work of drafting transportation plans targeted to specific geographic corners of the city,

'Lights Out Philly' Initiative Will Save Birds From Building Collisions
More than 15 years of advocacy, and one particularly galvanizing bird kill event, have created the momentum necessary for widespread adoption of the Lights Out Philly initiative.

New RAISE Grant Program Replaces BUILD Grants at the U.S. Department of Transportation
The policy whiplash from the Obama administration to the Trump administration and now to the Biden administration continues.

Urban Planning in a Time of COVID
In Dallas, Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson is not letting last year's crises go to waste.