This view of a poor urban neighborhood in Sao Paulo Brazil stunned and amazed me with its surprising and skillful use of color. The architect, 74-year old Ruy Ohtake, had just finished a luxury hotel in the city when community leaders in a nearby slum confronted him with a new challenge. He took the bait and was encouraged enough by the community’s own participation in the project to keep doing more. He believes aesthetics go a long way to improve our quality of life. I will say more on this subject later. For now, here are more details on this project. More photos can be found on his website though the text is all in Spanish.