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.
Editorial: Streetcar Funding Better Spent Elsewhere
The Economist introduces the concept of the streetcar in America—its history and its recent revival—before laying the arguments in support of, and against, the role of streetcars in urban revival.
Ten Years of OpenStreetMap
Exactly how does a student take on an open data political stance and transform it into "the largest crowd-sourced mapping project on the internet"?
A Primer on the Zoning Code Avant Garde
Anthony Flint discusses how "Silicon Valley-level innovative thinking" is making zoning more exciting than, well, anyone ever thought zoning codes could be.
Phoenix Wants to Triple its Light Rail Mileage
Hot on the heals of studies about residents ditching their cars and a new complete streets ordinance, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton is setting lofty goals for new transit capacity.
Editorial Supports Blocking Access from Detroit to its Suburbs
Grosse Point Park, which borders Detroit, has blocked streets that connect its commercial district from the east side of Detroit. An editorial from the Detroit News says that the focus should be on making Detroit a better neighbor.