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.

U.S. Car Prices Cross the $40,000 Threshold
Car prices have been going for a while, but even by recent standards a December jump in car prices is likely to be an outlier.

Resources for Safe, Convenient Pedestrian and Bike Infrastructure
Despite the stated goals of state and federal agencies to encourage active modes of transportation, there's still a long way to go to make sure that all cities and communities have safe, convenient sidewalks and bike lanes.

Draft Los Angeles River Master Plan Revealed
A new draft Los Angeles Master Plan, created by Frank Gehry's firm, lays out a more active, natural vision for the river, in addition to addressing concerns about displacement in communities along the river corridor.

American Automobile Manufacturers Talking Seriously About Flying Cars
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is partnering with electric aviation startup Archer to mass-produce flying automobiles, really more like helicopters or drones. General Motors also released designs for an autonomous flying car recently.

Fort Worth City Council Wants to Pause Apartment Developments
A trio of Fort Worth city councilmembers are trying to hit the brakes on the recent wave of multi-family housing developments requiring zoning changes in the growing city.