A small plane carrying a prominent Chinese landscape architect and three other people tragically crashed on Tuesday in a rural, wetlands-rich area of Brazil, resulting in no survivors, authorities confirmed.
The aircraft experienced an uncontrolled descent while attempting to land near Aquidauana, a city in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Upon impact, the plane immediately burst into flames, state officials reported. The Brazilian agency responsible for aviation safety has launched an investigation into the fatal incident.
Among those killed was Kongjian Yu, the celebrated Chinese architect whose groundbreaking “sponge cities” concept has reshaped environmental urban design globally. The other three victims were identified as two filmmakers and the pilot. The crash occurred in the Pantanal, a breathtaking region in western Brazil renowned for its abundant wildlife and stunning natural scenery.
Mr. Yu was highly regarded by his peers for his forward-thinking approach to urban adaptation in the face of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. Rather than erecting conventional flood walls and barriers to repel water, he advocated for cities designed to harmonize with nature. His vision included integrating green roofs and establishing natural zones specifically engineered to absorb and repurpose rainwater.
He famously dubbed his innovative strategy the “sponge city” concept. In a 2024 interview, he likened his approach to “doing tai chi with water,” drawing a parallel to the Chinese martial art that emphasizes redirecting energy rather than forceful resistance. He described it as “a whole philosophy, a new way of dealing with water.”
Through Turenscape, his Beijing-based firm and one of the world’s leading landscape architecture companies, Mr. Yu spearheaded the creation of hundreds of urban water parks across China. These projects utilize natural landscaping to guide runoff from flash floods either into the ground or into expertly designed wetlands.
At the time of the crash, Mr. Yu was on a work trip in Brazil. He had participated in a significant architectural conference in the capital, Brasília, earlier in the month, and showcased climate adaptation solutions at an expo in São Paulo.
In a public address at the conference, Mr. Yu expressed his belief that Brazilian cities held valuable lessons for urban environments striving to prepare for climate change. He stated, “I see Brazil as the last hope for saving the planet.”
Days before the accident, Mr. Yu engaged with local officials and fellow architects during visits to ongoing projects in São Paulo. In one widely shared social media video, he enthusiastically discussed the potential of transforming a canal into a “sponge” so that it could effectively mitigate the impact of flash flooding.
Brazil itself is grappling with the severe consequences of a rapidly changing climate, which has led to widespread urban flooding, severe droughts that have parched the Amazon rainforest, and destructive wildfires in the Pantanal – a region that, ironically, serves as a natural sponge, typically submerged for a significant portion of the year.
Mr. Yu’s ingenious urban planning philosophy has garnered increasing global recognition and adoption in recent years.
As he eloquently put it in his 2024 interview, “You cannot fight water. You have to adapt to it.”