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.

Austin Preparing to Trim 'Project Connect' Long-Term Transit Plans
Increasing costs and an understanding about taxes are reducing the scope of the long-term transit plan in Austin, Texas.

Pensacola Launches Active Transportation Plan
Pensacola, Florida, one of the least safe localities for pedestrians in a state full of them, is seeking public feedback for a new Active Transportation Plan.

Caltrain Railyard Redevelopment Back on the Table in San Francisco
An incredibly complex development proposal for 20 acres of Caltrain railyard is back on the table, nearly a decade since it first made news in San Francisco.

Cities Rethinking the Value of Parking
The effort to reclaim public and private spaces from car storage had some setbacks since the days of al fresco and open streets in the first years of Covid-19. But widespread parking reforms and new evidence shows the public is rethinking parking.

How to Hire and Retain Bus Drivers During the Great Resignation
Bus systems all over the country are cutting service due to an ongoing shortage of operators—the drivers who make the whole system go. A few examples of success provide a way forward.