Data has the power to change public policy, but only if it can be seen and understood. This was the core of our work with Instituto Cidades Sustentáveis, a leading Brazilian NGO advocating for urban justice. We were tasked with designing some of their most critical advocacy tools: the São Paulo Map of Inequality, the Map of Inequality in Early Childhood, and their 2020 Annual Report. For me, these projects were a profound exercise in design ethics and responsibility. Our role was to transform raw, complex data into clear and compelling visual narratives that exposed the stark realities of urban disparities, providing an essential tool for activists, journalists, and policymakers in the fight for more just and sustainable cities.
