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.

Commercial Rental Market Teeters on the Brink
Large numbers of commercial renters in New York City are missing rent, according to reports.

New Coronavirus Hotspots Flaring Up in Rural America
The novel coronavirus is outlasting the narratives of March 2020, and the country will have to reevaluate its assumptions to understand and respond to shifting threats as the public health crisis deepens.

Scooter Revenue, Empty Streets Allow for Quick Construction of Bike Lane in L.A.
A busy corridor, popular with bike and scooter riders, is gaining a new protected bike lane in Los Angeles.

Nursing Homes With Black and Latino Residents Have Much Worse Covid-19 Rates
Age segregation has contributed to the tragic outbreaks of Covid-19 in nursing homes all over the country, but racial data adds another layer of tragic consequences of the pandemic.

Criticism for Transportation Spending in House-Approved $3 Trillion Relief Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act earlier this month. Transit advocates say the bill reinforces the car-centric status quo.