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.
Car-Free Streets, City Control of Transit: New York City Council Speaker's New Platform
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson had a busy week, releasing an ambitious plan to "break" the "car culture" of New York.
How Anti-Rent Gouging Policies Differ From Rent Control
California could consider an anti-rent gouging bill, a policy with key distinctions from rent control that also inform a more complete understanding of Oregon's recently approved statewide tenant protections bill.
Planning and the 'Real Estate State'
A new book by Samuel Stein links planning to the causes of a global finance industry that values worldwide real estate at $217 trillion, or 60 percent of the world's assets.
Autonomous Vehicle Corridor Planned in Florida
A public-private partnership is under consideration in the Florida State Legislature to create a driverless shuttle route in Altamonte Springs.
Study: Self-Driving Cars Have Trouble Detecting People of Color
The automated decision-making processes of self-driving cars are ill equipped to protect that safety of people of color in public.