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.

$1 Billion Ovation Project to Break Ground in Metro Cincinnati in 2019
A mixed-use project planned for 35 acres in the city of Newport, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, is ready to break ground after ten years of planning.
'Don't Be a Turkey: Ride Transit'
The Regional Transit Authority took to the streets of Chicago to drum up support for transit, and transit funding, this Thanksgiving.

British Columbia Wants to Curb Mega-Mansion Construction in the Agricultural Land Reserve
Farmers around Vancouver's Agricultural Land Reserve have been building "mega-mansions" on their farmland. The province wants to limit the scale of such homes, but farmers are pushing back.

Report Raises Concerns About Transit Funding in Toronto
The Mixed Signals report makes the case for Toronto to adopt a dedicated revenue source to pay for transit.

Montreal Street Reconfiguration Could Remove Parking, and Businesses Aren't Happy
The city of Montreal will spend $123 million on the first phase of a project to revamp Ste-Catherine Street, removing 140 on-street parking locations in the process. More parking spots could follow.