When he was 15, José was awarded a scholarship that pushed him out of Portugal and 13 years later won a prize that brought him back. In the meantime, he attended the United World College in the United States of America, graduated in Architecture from the University of Nottingham and post graduated on Urban Strategies at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. In London, he designed skyscrapers and luxury homes to clients in the Far East and in Amsterdam, worked on the rehabilitation of suburban social housing. In Vienna, he researched what design will look like in 30 years time and back to Portugal he is engaged with an even bigger challenge.

José returned to put to action a social entrepreneurship project of urban regeneration. The project is called Arrebita!Porto and won the competition FAZ-Ideias de Origem Portuguesa sponsored by Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and Fundação Talento.

José comes at a time when much of the youth is moving out, but he is back with the strong belief that the moment to be and change Portugal is now. He doesn’t believe in depressive scenarios or catastrophic prophecies but instead on the ability of the Portuguese to overcome chronic problems with fresh, creative solutions. Starting with the fight on inner city abandonment, the mission of the project he founded and coordinates.