One Year Ago, Brazil Banned Hostile Architecture. Easier Said Than Done.

For decades, Father Lancellotti has called attention to the increasing social exclusion in São Paulo. But the iconic images of the priest wielding his sledgehammer finally pushed Brazil’s National Congress to take up his issue. In November of 2023, congressional lawmakers passed the Father Julio Lancellotti Act to make hostile architecture illegal. Yet just over a year later, the law still hasn’t been put into practice.