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.

Transit Agencies Begin Service Changes for Coronavirus Response
Public transit agencies are responding to declining ridership during the Coronavirus outbreak by reducing service. But the right balance between safe, reliable, and sustainable will be hard to calibrate in these difficult times.

10 Land Use Policies to Address Social, Economic, Environmental Challenges
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy recently recognized ten land use case studies for addressing some of the biggest challenges facing the world.

Will Federal Stimulus Again Feature Infrastructure?
As recessions fears grow, discussions about increasing the level of federal spending on infrastructure projects also grow.

'The Art of Classic Planning' Critiques a 'Century of Bad Planning'
A book review of a book published this year with the title, "The Art of Classic Planning: Building Beautiful and Enduring Communities," offers stinging criticism of the past and present of planning.

Esri Sets Up COVID-19 GIS Hub
The planning profession can contribute to the worldwide fight to control the spread of COVID-19. GIS technology, for instance, allows real-time monitoring of the pandemic.