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.
Five Years After $1 Billion Freeway Expansion, Traffic Only Gets Worse
The lesson of the I-405 widening project that birthed meme-worthy events like "Carmageddon": widening a freeway won't reduce congestion for long, if ever.
Community Planning Gives Voices to the Voiceless
People who can't vote can still have a say in the processes by which their neighborhoods are planned and developed. An example from New York City illustrates the point.
Hudson Yards as a Cautionary Tale
As the city of Philadelphia considers the prospect of building a massive private development called Schuylkill Yards, lessons from New York City's Hudson Yards are considered.
New Resilience Center to Replace 100 Resilient Cities
The new Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center will build on the earlier work of the 100 Resilient Cities program.
Complete Streets Plan Approved in St. Petersburg, Florida
The city of St. Petersburg is intended to improve safety for all users of streets—bicyclists, pedestrians, transit users, and drivers.