The founder and director of 8 80 Cities, an organization that sets out to reconsider cities so that they may be suitable places for children and the elderly. He has an MBA from the Anderson School of Management (UCLA), where he was distinguished as one of the 100 most inspiring alumni of the institution. In 2015 he received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the Faculty of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Sweden (SLU). He has been chosen in the list of Planetizens among the 100 most influential town planners and in Australia he was awarded the World Urban Parks Annual Distinguished Individual Award.