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.

Wisconsin County Completes First Comprehensive Zoning Code Rewrite in 70-Plus Years
Dane County, Wisconsin, which includes the city of Madison, has rewritten its zoning code to address a changing economy and a state-mandated system of local control.

PG&E Promises to Keep the Lights on After Declaring Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Pacific Gas and Electric has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the face of "actual and potential" liability.
L.A. Metro Jumps Into the Ridesharing Business
The Los Angeles County metropolitan Transportation Authority announced the launch of a one-year pilot program for on demand ridesharing, otherwise known as microtransit.

The Geography of Commuting and the 'New Urban Crisis'
How people get to work, and the geographic distinctions between trends in those choices, reveals some of the country's more ominous traits, including the trend Richard Florida calls "the new urban crisis."

Pittsburgh's Iconic Rachel Carson Bridge Closed for Repairs Until Summer 2020
One of the symbols of Pittsburgh's status as the Steel City and the City of Bridges will be closed for repairs for all of 2019 and a good portion of 2020 as well.