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.
Pandemic Emissions Prove How Much of a Difference the U.S. Could Make by Driving Less
Driving in the United States accounted for five percent of global carbon emissions before the pandemic, but U.S. cars and trucks account for 20 percent of the global emission reductions during the pandemic.
The Unfounded Fears of Affordable Housing Opposition
Neither evidence nor experience support the fearful visions expressed by opponents to affordable housing development, according to a recent feature article for the New York Times.
Draft RideKC Bus System Redesign Announced
The RideKC bus system is being redesigned on a high frequency grid.
A Texas Freeway Revolt
The thirst for urban expansion and new highway capacity hit a roadblock on the fringe of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolis.
New York MTA Plans Catastrophic Service and Employment Cuts
A vague threat, present since the beginning of the pandemic, is now much more defined in New York City, as transit riders get an idea of what pandemic austerity looks like for the city's mobility. Congress can still save transit agencies.