Chinese landscape architect Kongjian Yu, renowned for his "sponge city" concept, was killed in a plane crash in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands on Tuesday along with three others. The 62-year-old Peking University professor was traveling in a single-engine Cessna aircraft to a ranch in Mato Grosso do Sul state when the plane crashed during an attempted landing abort.
The crash also claimed the lives of two Brazilian filmmakers working on a documentary about Yu's work titled "Planeta Esponja" (Planet Sponge), and the local pilot Marcelo Pereira de Barros. According to local police, the plane lost altitude during the landing attempt, causing an immediate explosion upon impact.
Yu was celebrated for pioneering sustainable urban design that helps cities manage extreme weather and flooding through ancient Chinese water system principles. His architecture firm Turenscape, which recently won awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects, has implemented projects in hundreds of Chinese cities focusing on rainwater conservation and reuse.
Chinese landscape architect Kongjian Yu
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed sadness, noting Yu had become "a global reference for sponge cities" that combine quality of life with environmental protection. Yu had recently participated in a conference in Brasília discussing urban sustainability solutions.
