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.

List: The Negative Effects of Ride-Hailing
Ride-hailing companies have yet to deliver on many of the transportation system improvements that they, and their supporters, have been promising. Streetsblog USA provides a scathing critique of the consequences of widespread ride-hailing.

A Comprehensive Survey of the Scope and Effects of Land Use Policy in California
A survey of land use policies in cities and counties of California is designed to inform a more complete understanding of the housing market, sustainability, and economic mobility in the state.

Tracking the Skyward Progress of Western U.S. Cities
A Washington Post feature analyzes the changing skylines of cities from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

Transit Funding Decisions Delayed in Cobb County, Georgia
Cobb County is supposed to join a new regional transit authority called The Atl, but it hasn't chosen how to fund its participation yet.

Report: Sprawl Threatens to Swallow the Planet
By 2030, cities will have tripled in size since 2000. Unmanaged, incessant growth is threatening the planet, according to a new report from the World Resources Institute.