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.
Updated: $2 Trillion Federal Stimulus Includes Billions for Transit, Housing
The economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has already hit public transit revenues hard, and the concerns of millions of renters around the country about how they'll afford to pay the rent are weighing heavily on the country.
Local Coronavirus Action Tracker
Broadcasting information about local actions, to share knowledge and information, and to help local leaders calibrate responses.
Analyzing the U.S. Housing Market in the Early Days of COVID-19
The lessons of the 2008 housing market crash don't necessarily apply to the current situation.
The Historical Effect of Pandemics on the Economy and the Housing Market
Research into previous pandemics, like SARS in 2003, the Spanish Flu in 1918, and the early months of COVID-19 in China, offers insight into what to expect for the economy and the housing market during and after the current pandemic.
6 Zoning Keys for Effective Missing Middle Housing
The inventor of the term missing middle housing has advice on writing zoning codes that effectively deliver on the potential of the tool.