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.

Why Bird Ended its Infrastructure Funding Program
Months after ending a program to help cities fund transportation infrastructure improvements, a company official says city governments were misusing the funds.

Research: Distance Matters More Than Multi-Modal Trips for Reducing Carbon Emissions
European researchers have published a new study in the journal Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment that might be a hard pill to swallow for some transit advocates.

A New Form-Based Zoning Code and the 'Conflicted Soul' of the Suburbs
The new form-based zoning code under consideration in the affluent Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion "has something to teach Philadelphia and other big cities about how to organize density smartly," according to Inga Saffron.

28,000 Homes Planned for Desert Southeast of Tucson
A master planned community would add 70,000 new residents to a city of 5,000 located southeast of Tucson, Arizona. Local and regional environmental groups don't think the environmental risks of the development have been properly considered.

Portland Adjusts Residential Infill Plan to Minimize Displacement
Portland wants to add density but doesn't want to displace current residents of low- and middle-income neighborhoods.