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.

How Do Downtown Homes Prices Compare?
After a decade of shifting market preferences and an ongoing urban renaissance, how do downtown home prices compare in cities around the country?

Plan to Speed Up Relief Line Construction Pitched in Toronto
Toronto Mayor John Tory is intervening in transit plans with a call to speed up spending and the construction timeline for the relief line, designed to relieve crowding on the city's subway system in the urban core.

Needed: A New Approach to the Colorado River
In an interview with Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, former Arizona Governor and former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbit recommends new approaches to the challenges facing the Colorado River watershed.

Another Lawsuit Complicates Purple Line Plans in Maryland
The 16-mile Purple Line light rail project, which connects Maryland suburbs in Montgomery and Prince George's counties to the D.C. Metro Gold, Red, and Orange lines, is facing a new lawsuit.

AV Investments Outpacing Consumer Demand: Report
For all the money pouring into autonomous vehicle technology, the public is still relatively unconvinced about the viability of the technology.