The world of architecture and environmental design is mourning the loss of Kongjian Yu, the visionary Chinese landscape architect whose pioneering “sponge city” concept transformed urban planning in China and inspired sustainable development worldwide. Yu, 62, died tragically on September 24, 2025, when a small aircraft carrying him and a documentary crew crashed in the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil’s Mato Grosso do Sul state. Brazilian authorities confirmed that all four people on board—including Yu, two Brazilian filmmakers, and the pilot—were killed in the accident, which occurred during a landing attempt at a large agribusiness facility near the town of Aquidauana, about 100 kilometers from the city itself.
The crash took place around 8:10 p.m. local time, and rescue operations lasted nearly nine hours, according to local firefighters cited by CNN. The other victims were identified as documentary filmmakers Luiz Fernando Feres da Cunha Ferraz and Rubens Crispim Jr., as well as pilot Marcelo Pereira de Barros, who owned the single-engine Cessna aircraft. The team was in Brazil to film a documentary titled Planeta Esponja (Planet Sponge), chronicling Yu’s work in the Pantanal—the world’s largest tropical wetland, renowned for its biodiversity and ecological significance.
Yu’s death sent shockwaves through the international design and environmental communities. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his condolences on social media, writing: “In times of climate change, Kongjian Yu became a global reference with sponge cities, which combine quality of life and environmental protection—something that we want and need for the future.” Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that Yu’s legacy “will inspire all who strive for environmentally responsible urbanism.”
Yu’s influence stretched far beyond the borders of China. As France24 reported, he was recently a featured speaker at the São Paulo International Architecture Biennale and was widely recognized as a leading figure in sustainable urban planning. His “sponge city” philosophy, which advocates replacing impermeable concrete with natural features such as wetlands, rain gardens, and permeable surfaces, has been credited with reducing urban flooding and restoring ecological balance to cities. According to Brazil’s Council of Architecture and Urbanism, the concept has been applied in more than a thousand projects across 250 cities worldwide, influencing public policy in China and beyond.
Yu’s journey began in rural China, where he developed a deep appreciation for the delicate relationship between people and the land. As a professor and founder of the College of Architecture and Landscape at Peking University, he often described landscape architecture not merely as an art form, but as a “fundamental pillar for human survival”—especially in the face of climate change, water crises, and biodiversity loss. His approach drew from ancient Chinese water management systems, reimagined for the modern era to address the challenges of rapid urbanization and increasingly severe weather events.
Perhaps Yu’s most enduring legacy is the nationwide adoption of the sponge city model in China. As The Independent detailed, the Chinese government embraced his vision in 2013, setting ambitious targets for cities to absorb a large proportion of rainfall and integrate ecological infrastructure into urban planning. The idea is both elegantly simple and profoundly impactful: by creating parks, ponds, greenways, and wetlands within cities, urban areas can function much like natural sponges, soaking up excess rainwater, mitigating floods, and improving the urban climate. This stands in stark contrast to conventional “grey” infrastructure—pipes, drains, and concrete channels—that often exacerbate flooding by rapidly diverting water away.
Yu’s firm, Turenscape, became a global powerhouse in landscape architecture and urban ecology. Founded in 1998, the Beijing-based company grew to more than 500 specialists under Yu’s leadership, delivering projects that seamlessly integrated ecological function with artistic expression. One of Turenscape’s most celebrated achievements was the transformation of a polluted former fish farm and coal-ash dump into the 126-acre “floating forest” at Fish Tail Park in Nanchang, Jiangxi province. The project, which won top honors from the American Society of Landscape Architects, turned a degraded Yangtze floodplain into a vibrant urban wetland that manages stormwater and models waterfront renewal.
Yu’s expertise was in demand far beyond China. He contributed to sustainable urban projects in Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and even as far afield as the United States and Russia, according to Reuters. Throughout his career, Yu served as an advisor to central and local governments, championing the integration of ecological wisdom into public policy. His work gained even greater prominence in recent years as China—and much of the world—faced increasingly frequent and severe flooding, underlining the urgent need for climate-resilient infrastructure.
The Pantanal, where Yu’s life was cut short, is itself a poignant symbol of the environmental values he championed. As the world’s largest tropical wetland, it is a haven for wildlife and a critical buffer against climate extremes. The documentary project, Planeta Esponja, was intended to highlight both the beauty and the fragility of this unique ecosystem—and the importance of harmonizing human development with nature’s rhythms.
Reactions to Yu’s passing have been deeply felt across continents. The College of Architecture and Landscape at Peking University mourned his death on its website, calling it “a profound loss for Peking University and an even greater regret for the field of ecological landscape design in China and around the world.” The college’s obituary praised Yu for leading projects that “earned international acclaim for their seamless integration of ecological function and artistic expression, offering forward-looking Chinese solutions and wisdom to address global ecological challenges.”
Despite the suddenness of his death, Yu’s ideas are likely to endure. As his projects continue to shape cities and landscapes around the globe, his legacy stands as a testament to the power of blending ancient wisdom with modern innovation. In the words of President Lula, Yu’s vision of cities that “combine quality of life and environmental protection” is not just a blueprint for the future—it’s a necessity in an era of mounting climate threats.
For all those who work at the intersection of design, ecology, and public policy, Kongjian Yu’s life offers both inspiration and a challenge: to imagine—and build—cities that are not only resilient, but truly alive.
