TED Talks Daily Sunday Pick: Mexico City | Far Flung
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Sep 22, 2025 Gabriela Gomez-Mont, former head of Laboratorio para la Ciudad, shares her insights on civic engagement in Mexico City, a vibrant metropolis of 21 million. She introduces 'Peatonito,' a superhero who fights for pedestrian safety. The conversation dives into innovative projects like Mapatón, a crowdsourced transit mapping initiative, and the collective effort to draft a city constitution. Gomez-Mont illustrates how creativity and collaboration are transforming public spaces and making civic participation a thrilling reality for citizens.
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Luchador Turned Street Protector
- Jorge Canez became Peatonito by buying a lucha libre mask and cape and escorting pedestrians across dangerous streets.
- He painted crosswalks, removed cars from sidewalks, and even joined government to push pedestrian-focused change.
Culture As A Civic Magnet
- Gabriela Gomez-Mont built a Lab for the City mixing artists and social scientists to tap civic imagination.
- She used provocative language and narrative to attract civil society into government projects.
Crowdsource Transit Data With A Game
- Use citizens as data gatherers by gamifying tasks to map informal systems like bus routes.
- Incentivize harder tasks to maximize coverage quickly rather than building top-down solutions.