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.
Transit Oriented Development Planning Funding Awarded to 20 Agencies
The Maryland Department of Transportation was the big winner in the Federal Transit Administration's Transit-Oriented Development Pilot Planning Program, with $2 million in grant funding.
The State of Florida Set a Zero Traffic Fatality Target
Florida set a goal in to eventually eliminate traffic fatalities on state roads and highways as part of its 2018 Highway Safety Plan. Neither a timeline nor the words vision zero were included.
Positive Train Control Deadline: Rail Systems Go 4 for 41
A decade after Congress set a deadline for rail systems to implement positive train control, only 4 rail systems were able to get the job done on time.
Level of Service Reform Takes Step Forward in Seattle
The city of Seattle is making more room for alternative transportation modes in its level of service calculations.
Mayor of San Jose Struck by Driver While Biking, Hospitalized
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, an "avid biker," spent Tuesday night in the hospital after the driver of an automobile struck him as he biked through the city.