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.
Light Rail Service Suspended in San Francisco, South Bay Area
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency announced that it would shift resources away from light rail, starting Monday, and then the Valley Transportation Authority announced it was suspending light rail service in the South Bay immediately.
A Social Distancing Scorecard
A location data company has created a Social Distancing Scorecard to track the progress of Americans, down to the county level, in reducing travel in accordance with recommendations to reduce physical contact.
The Crisis Within the Crisis: Homelessness and Housing Pushed to the Brink by COVID-19
Cities, states, and the federal government are trying to prevent a repeat of 2008 while still facing the challenges of inequality and poverty that grew out of the previous recession.
Connecticut Town Rejects Drive-Through COVID-19 Testing Facility
The annals of local control, or, as some would say, NIMBYism, have a new chapter.
Frontlines of the Social Distancing Effort Shifts to Parks and Open Space
Too many people have been seeking normalcy on parks and on trails. This isn’t a normal time.