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.
Ideas for Sidewalk Labs' Smart City Include Building Raincoats and Heated Paving System
Weather plays a big factor in the "smart cities" technology experiments in development by Sidewalk Labs for its Toronto pilot project.

Concern Grows Over lack of Progress With L.A.'s $1.2 Billion Homeless Housing Bond
Measure HHH promised to build 10,000 new units of homeless housing units in the city of Los Angeles. Two years later, not a single unit has been added.

Union Deal Paves Way for Hudson Yards Phase 2
The developers of the Hudson Yards development in New York want to change its deal with union employees as it moves into the second phase of construction.

Sneak a Peek at Maryland's New Purple Line Trains
Train fans rejoice.

Hyperloop Study Underway in Pennsylvania
"Add Pennsylvania to the list of places reviewing whether to consider a hyperloop system and the effect such systems might have on existing modes of transportation."