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.
Criticism of a Gas Station Proposed for the Philadelphia Waterfront
A case study in development proposals not matching planning ambitions on the Delaware River Waterfront in Philadelphia.
Living in the Gentrified Version of Fort Greene, Brooklyn
The New York Times notes the gentrification of Fort Greene, but caters to the people would looking for places to live in the neighborhood.
New Local Celebrity: Sinkhole Bus
Pittsburgh-area residents are finding numerous ways to celebrate a bus's misfortune.
Toronto's Poverty Plan Meets the Budget Process
Toronto approved a ten-year poverty reduction strategy in 2015, but the policies and programs included in that plan still require budgetary commitments.
The Onion Satirizes New York's Fare Enforcement Techniques, Over Spending on Transit
Two jokes in one: The Onion reports a totally fake news story about New York builds a super expensive fake subway station just to bust fare evaders.