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.

Ending Rent Control Changed Everything in Massachusetts. What Happens If It Becomes Legal Again?
Two proposed bills would roll back a statewide prohibition on rent control in Massachusetts. The city of Cambridge, how of the anti-rent control movement in the state, is now a poster child for the housing crisis.

Vancouver Considering Lowering Speed Limits for Pedestrian Safety
Vancouver wants to rein in traffic speeds as collisions take a rising toll on drivers and pedestrians in the city.

First Weekend of L Train Slowdown Could Have Been Worse
The long awaited repair work on the L Train between Brooklyn and Manhattan launched over the weekend.

New Regulations Grind Hiring to a Halt for Uber and Lyft
The New York City set standards for transportation network companies, and now those companies are being a lot more selective about who they hire as drivers.

Analysis of U.S. DOT BUILD Grants Raises Critical Issues About Spending Priorities
Transportation for America is crunching the numbers on how the Trump administration has shifted transportation funding programs since it took over the TIGER grant program and made it into the BUILD grant program.