Renato Cymbalista is an architect and urbanist, and professor at the School of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo (FAU-USP). He is the cofounder of FICA (Fundo Imobiliário Comunitário para Aluguel) and his work bridges teaching, research, and activism, focusing on the right to housing, spatial justice, and democratic land use. With training in architecture, law, and urban policy, he develops tools and frameworks to challenge speculative real estate markets and support community-led models of ownership and care.