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.
Entertainment District in East Bay Area City Scrapped Due to Economic Uncertainty
A developer has changed its mind about a plan to bring a soccer stadium and convention center to the city of Concord in the East San Francisco Bay Area.
Making Space for the 'Invisible Cyclists' in Post-Pandemic Transportation Planning
As biking gains popularity as a transportation mode during the pandemic, planners are called on to elevate the role of "invisible cyclists"—people of color on bikes—in the process of redesigning and re-engineering streets.
Commandeered Buses, System Shutdowns—Transit on the Frontlines of Protests
The optics of public transit suffered over the weekend, as a few transit agencies have been commandeered by police and even shut down entirely with little or no notice, stranding protesters and essential workers alike.
Violence Against Black Americans a Moment of Reckoning for the Planning Profession
After a wave violence against Black men in the United States, it is the duty of the planning profession to consider its role in perpetuating institutional racism.
The Urban Project: Urbanization, Urbanisms, and the Virus—A Historical Take
Perceptions of what makes density either "good" or "bad" have shifted over the years, and the pandemic is likely to precipitate another shift.