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.

Market Street in San Francisco Closed to Cars
The historic, car-free transformation of San Francisco's busiest street opens to the public today.

Legislation Would Prevent Rural-to-Urban Water Transfers in Arizona
A plan to sell water intended for agricultural uses to help fuel the development of a city on the edge of the Phoenix metropolitan area has inspired new state legislation.

Report: Last-Mile Deliveries to Increase 78% by 2030
A new report from the World Economic Forum predicts dire consequences for congestion and carbon emissions if e-commerce delivery services proliferate unchecked.

Houston More Expensive Than New York? Not So Fast
A recent study claiming that transportation costs in Houston, among other expenses, raise the cost of living almost to the same level as living in New York City. Some took exception to the study's methodology.

Opinion: Historic Preservation's Climate Problem Reveals its Class Problem
A strongly worded opinion piece calls out historic preservation as a tool of the affluent urban elite.