Public Spaces – Luis Patricio

Why Brazil is the best country in football (and why public spaces matter)

May 4, 2026

Five world championships. Seven appearances in the finals. The only country to play in every edition of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup. A long list of legendary players: Pelé, Ronaldo Gaúcho, Neymar, Cafu, Ronaldinho, Garrincha, Zico, Romário. How did Brazil do it? Wealthier countries often have far more infrastructure and larger … More Why Brazil is the best country in football (and why public spaces matter)

World Car Free Day: Reimagining Cities Beyond Cars

September 8, 2025

Every year on September 22, cities around the globe mark World Car Free Day. It’s a moment to pause and imagine what urban life could look like if streets belonged more to people than to cars. It’s not just about leaving the car at home for one day; it’s about sparking conversations, testing new ideas, … More World Car Free Day: Reimagining Cities Beyond Cars

School Crossing Guards as Essential Workers

August 21, 2024

We are back to school, it’s a chilly and rainy Tuesday morning in late September and they are there. It could have been a scorching morning in June or a freezing snowy one in January. They would have been there no matter what. The familiar and friendly face of the school crossing guard (SCG), helping … More School Crossing Guards as Essential Workers

Dundas Street with a 20 km/h sign in the center line

Pedal Poll Experiences on Dundas Street

June 21, 2024

This post is about my experience in the most recent Pedal Poll (2024). You can read a related post called Reflections from the first Pedal Poll in 2021. Pedal Poll 2024 In the last two years, I volunteered to count traffic on Dundas St in Downtown London. In the first week of June 2024, I … More Pedal Poll Experiences on Dundas Street

Reflections from the first Pedal Poll in 2021

June 14, 2024

In the first week of June I was one of the many volunteers across Canada counting traffic for the Pedal Poll 2024. Pedal Poll is a national survey that occurs annually since 2021. In this post, I will revisit the first survey considering a few mobility justice issues. Pedal Poll is a project of Vélo … More Reflections from the first Pedal Poll in 2021

Cultural Shocks in a Built Environment

July 3, 2022

Imagine you are a friend from Brazil and I’m writing to you to share the wonders (from my point of view) of North American cities in my first year back in 2016. I don’t name the city I live in (although it is easy to find that out) because this little story applies to many … More Cultural Shocks in a Built Environment

Urban Literacy: a place-making tool

May 3, 2022

In 2014, hundreds of people came together to literally rebuild a small park in the downtown of a big city. In 2018, an art hive experiment welcomed hundreds of people to share a space where they were encouraged to express themselves, make art for free as a community and improve individual and collective mental health. … More Urban Literacy: a place-making tool

There is a path, we just need to see it

April 21, 2022

You probably saw many “No Exit” signs in your city. And if you pay closer attention, there are quite a few of them that actually have exits. … More There is a path, we just need to see it

Black Lives Matter pt. 2

December 6, 2020

This post is a real story about immigrants and an event that took place exactly six years ago. Dec 6 is a very special date for me because it is my canniversary. It is the day I landed in Canada and became an immigrant myself. Reflecting on my own experiences in the last four years … More Black Lives Matter pt. 2

Real change requires real conversations… and bread

October 25, 2020

Recently, another controversial debate started on the Facebook community group from my neighbourhood. This time was about bike lanes vs on-street parking. A good place to start My convictions are well known and I don’t need to state them here. Actually, I want to dig a little deeper. When it comes to what really matters, … More Real change requires real conversations… and bread

Luis Patricio

Experience leads to connection

Category: Public Spaces