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.

Another Big City Announces Sweeping Energy Plans for Buildings
San Francisco and New York City made a theme of this year's Earth Day: mandating emissions reductions from buildings.

Dead on Arrival: Vision Zero Loses at the Phoenix City Council
Car-oriented politics keeps scoring wins in Phoenix.

What Central Florida's Population Growth Reveals About U.S. Real Estate Trends
Big trends—a geographic shift back to the suburban and exurban areas and a "silver tsunami"—are apparent in population figures for two Florida locations.

Compare Transit Ridership in U.S. Cities
A new interactive tool called Transit Insights offers access to the local trends of transit ridership.

Mapping the Political Ramifications of a Census Citizenship Question
The Supreme Court heard opening arguments Department of Commerce v. New York this week.