A small aircraft carrying Kongjian Yu, a highly respected Chinese landscape architect, and three other individuals met a tragic end on Tuesday in the sprawling wetlands of Brazil. All four people on board perished in the crash, authorities confirmed.
The plane reportedly lost control during its descent near Aquidauana in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Upon impact, the aircraft burst into flames, leaving no survivors. Brazil’s aviation safety agency has launched an investigation into the incident to determine the cause of the fatal crash.
Kongjian Yu was a towering figure in environmental design, widely recognized for pioneering the ‘sponge city’ concept. This urban planning model champions the use of natural landscapes to absorb, store, filter, and reuse rainwater, offering a sustainable approach to protecting cities from the escalating impacts of climate change.
Among the other victims were two filmmakers, whose identities were not immediately released, and the pilot. The crash occurred in the Pantanal, a breathtaking region in western Brazil renowned for its extraordinary wildlife and dramatic natural beauty.
Mr. Yu had earned international acclaim among his peers for his innovative thinking on how cities should adapt to increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. His philosophy steered away from traditional flood walls and rigid barriers.
Instead, he advocated for urban designs that mimic nature, proposing features like green roofs and strategically placed zones to naturally absorb and reuse rainwater. This approach aimed to work with water, rather than against it.
In a 2024 interview, Mr. Yu described his ‘sponge city’ concept as “doing tai chi with water,” drawing a parallel to the Chinese martial art’s emphasis on redirecting energy rather than forceful resistance. “It’s a whole philosophy, a new way of dealing with water,” he explained.
Through his Beijing-based firm, Turenscape, one of the world’s largest landscape architecture practices, Mr. Yu oversaw the creation of hundreds of urban water parks across China. These projects utilize natural landscaping to guide runoff from flash floods into the ground or into constructed wetlands.
Before the fatal crash, Mr. Yu had been in Brazil for professional engagements, including a major architectural conference in Brasília and an expo in São Paulo, where he presented his climate adaptation solutions for cities.
During a speech at the conference, Mr. Yu expressed his belief that Brazilian cities could provide crucial insights into preparing urban environments for climate change. “I see Brazil as the last hope for saving the planet,” he stated passionately.
In the days leading up to the accident, Mr. Yu also engaged with local officials and architects while visiting various projects in São Paulo. In one social media video, he enthusiastically discussed the potential of transforming a canal into a ‘sponge’ to mitigate the effects of flash flooding.
Brazil itself is grappling with the severe consequences of a rapidly changing climate, experiencing widespread urban flooding, the parching of the Amazon rainforest, and devastating wildfires in the Pantanal, a region that is naturally a massive sponge, typically submerged for much of the year.
Mr. Yu’s visionary urban planning concepts have gained significant traction worldwide in recent years, offering a beacon of hope for communities facing environmental challenges.
As he eloquently put it in his 2024 interview, “You cannot fight water. You have to adapt to it.” His legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire resilient urban development around the globe.