Yu Kongjian, Architect of China’s ‘Sponge Cities,’ Dies in Brazil Plane Crash
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Yu Kongjian, the pioneering landscape architect behind China’s “Sponge City” model, died in a plane crash on Sept. 23 in Brazil’s Pantanal region, where he was conducting an ecological study. He was 62.
The founding dean of Peking University’s College of Architecture and Landscape, Yu made immense contributions to China’s ecological development. In a statement, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed deep condolences. “In the current era of climate change, the ‘Sponge City’ proposed by Yu Kongjian has become a global model,” da Silva said, according to the press office of the Brazilian Embassy in China. “This concept combines quality of life with environmental protection, which is precisely the direction of development we expect and need for the future.”
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- Yu Kongjian, creator of China’s “Sponge City” water management model, died in a plane crash at age 62 in Brazil on Sept. 23, 2024.
- His nature-based urban flooding solutions have become national strategy in China since 2013–2014, influencing global flood-prone cities including Brazil.
- Yu received major international awards such as the 2020 Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award and was lauded for advancing sustainable urban design.
- Turenscape
- Turenscape is the design firm founded by Yu Kongjian, where the celebrated "Sponge City" concept was developed starting in 1997. Through Turenscape, Yu and his team created this innovative natural solution to urban flooding, which has since been adopted as a national strategy in China and gained global recognition.
- 1963：
- Yu Kongjian was born in a village in East China’s Zhejiang province.
- 1995：
- Yu received his doctorate from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.
- 1997：
- Yu returned to China to teach at Peking University and began developing the Sponge City concept through his firm Turenscape.
- 2012：
- A flood in Beijing killed 79 people; after this event, Yu formally proposed his 'green sponge' solution to city leaders in an open letter.
- Between 2013 and 2014：
- The Sponge City concept was elevated to a national strategy in China.
- 2015：
- China's finance, housing, and water resources ministries announced the first 16 pilot Sponge Cities.
- 2016：
- Yu was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- 2017：
- The term 'Sponge City' was included in China’s government work report for the first time.
- 2020：
- Yu received the Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award, the highest honor in landscape architecture.
- 2022：
- Yu attended a review meeting for the Pinglu Canal project in Guangxi and warned of the project's risks.
- 2024：
- A severe flood in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, displaced 1.84 million people.
- By 2025：
- The Sponge City model was gaining worldwide acclaim and being explored in multiple countries, including Brazil.
- 2025：
- Yu was in Brazil for an international seminar, the São Paulo Architecture Biennial, and to film a documentary titled 'Sponge Planet.'
- 2025：
- The mayor of Rio de Janeiro personally invited Yu for consultation on ecological water management.
- Sept. 23, 2025：
- Yu Kongjian died in a plane crash in Brazil’s Pantanal region, along with Brazilian film director Luiz Ferres, documentary director Rubens Crispin, and the pilot.
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