Chinese landscape architect Kongjian Yu dies in Brazil plane crash

Chinese landscape architect Kongjian Yu has died in a plane crash in the Pantanal wetlands of Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, authorities said on Wednesday. Yu, 62, was traveling in a small aircraft late Tuesday when it went down near the town of Aquidauana. The crash also killed the pilot and two local filmmakers who were part of a documentary project.

Yu’s work gained global relevance for the sponge city concept, a nature-based approach designed to absorb and store rainfall to reduce flooding and heat, rather than relying solely on concrete drainage. The idea has been adopted in hundreds of Chinese projects and spread to urban sites in the United States, Russia, and elsewhere, influencing planning debates and new urban design standards. Yu founded and led the College of Architecture and Landscape at Peking University, and he built Turenscape, his Beijing-based design firm, into a team of more than 500 specialists.

Yu’s death drew statements from government leaders and highlighted his role on the global stage. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in a statement that Yu became a global reference with the sponge cities, which combine quality of life and environmental protection. The president’s office framed Yu as a leading voice in climate-adaptive urbanism and sustainable design as the world confronts rising floods and extreme weather.

In Brazil, Yu had been featured in the opening program of the Sao Paulo International Architecture Biennale last week, where organizers highlighted his work on integrating living landscapes into city form. Estadao, a Sao Paulo newspaper, reported that he then joined a trip with filmmakers shooting a documentary about his projects. Authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the university or Turenscape.

The crash occurred in a rural area near Aquidauana in Mato Grosso do Sul’s Pantanal wetlands, a region known for biodiversity and seasonal floods. The authorities who confirmed the deaths did not provide additional details about the cause. Yu’s leadership of Turenscape and his influence on public policy in China and around the world left a lasting mark on landscape architecture and urban planning.

Yu led Turenscape as the firm’s principal designer, growing the practice into a multidisciplinary team that combines ecological design, landscape restoration, and community planning. His work in China popularized sponge-city concepts that aim to reduce urban flood risk and improve water management by restoring and reconnecting natural hydrological processes. The loss comes at a time when climate-adaptive urbanism is a growing priority for cities worldwide, including those seeking to balance development with ecological protections.

The incident underscores the risks inherent in rapid development in fragile ecosystems like the Pantanal, where small aircraft are among the few practical ways to reach remote areas. Officials indicated the investigation would examine flight records and air safety data, though no preliminary cause was released. Yu’s colleagues described him as a relentless advocate for integrating water-sensitive design with community needs, a philosophy that shaped school curricula, urban projects, and policy debates across multiple continents.

Yu’s professional trajectory began with his education in China and later his role at Peking University, where he mentored a generation of designers and planners. Turenscape, founded in 1998, has completed numerous urban rehabilitation and ecological restoration projects that aim to reduce flood risk while improving habitat quality for wildlife. The firm employs hundreds of engineers, landscape architects, ecologists, and planners who work on projects from citywide watershed plans to neighborhood-scale rehabilitations. The loss is being mourned by scholars, practitioners, and policymakers who credit Yu with elevating the importance of ecological design in urban contexts.