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.
Trump Administration Finds a Way to Divert California Water to Farmers
A new federal program will clear the way for more water to be delivered to the state of California's agriculture industry, overruling environmental safeguards that protected fish.
An Enticement to Ride BART to the Airport: A Shorter Security Line
Airport and transit planners in the Bay Area are considering adding a perk for transit ridership for travelers to and from San Francisco International Airport.
How Rider-Friendly Fare Policies Can Improve Transit
So many aspects of a transit system's fare system can make or break the rider experience and even the long-term viability of the system. A new report helps transit planners and service designers make sense of all the options.
Long-Delayed $5 Billion American Dream Mall Opens
It took 17 years and no small amount of public ridicule as it sat dormant in the New Jersey meadowlands, but a small portion of the American Dream mall is now open to the public.
Plan Would Shift High-Speed Rail Funds to Burbank-Anaheim Commuter Corridor
Improvements to the commuter rail connections between Los Angeles and Orange counties are among the possibilities for the future of rail planning in California as uncertainty about high-speed rail continues.