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.

A New Plan for Sea Level Rise in the San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay has 400 miles of shoreline, and a dire need for a new approach to dealing with the effects of rising water levels. An estimated $100 billion in potential property damage is at risk.

How Much for Roads and Highways in a Proposed Portland-Area Transportation Funding Measure?
A regional transportation tax could be on the 2020 ballot in Portland and surrounding communities in Oregon. How much of that money created by the new tax, should it pass, will go to transit and how much will go to cars is an open question.

Bike Infrastructure Makeover Underway in Houston
It might surprise people outside of Texas to hear about the progress of new, high quality bike infrastructure in the city of Houston.

Millennials Searching for Affordable Homebuying Opportunities in Smaller Cities
A new report from the National Association of Realtors ranked the top homebuying destinations for Millennials.

Cascadia High Speed Rail Authority Has its First Funding
The state of Washington has allocated funding from its 2019-2021 biennium transportation appropriations bill to study the creation of the Cascadia High Speed Rail Authority.