Kongjian YU, a celebrated Chinese landscape architect and Peking University professor, died in a plane crash in Brazil on September 23, 2025, at age 62. The crash occurred in Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, during the filming of the documentary Planet Sponge. All four on board, including Yu, Brazilian filmmaker Luis Feres, documentary director Rubens Crispim, and pilot Marcelo Pereira de Barros, perished. The cause is under investigation.
The single-engine aircraft, registered as PT-BAN and owned by the pilot, crashed in the Pantanal region. The Brazilian Air Force is investigating, collecting evidence and assessing the wreckage. The plane was airworthy but not certified for commercial charters. Local and state police are assisting with the inquiry.
Yu was in the Pantanal to shoot Planet Sponge, a documentary on urban adaptation to wetland ecosystems, aligning with his “sponge city” concept for sustainable urban water management.
Born in 1963 in Zhejiang, Yu earned a master’s from Beijing Forestry University (1987) and a doctorate from Harvard (1995). He founded Peking University’s College of Architecture and Landscape, Landscape Architecture Frontiers, and Turenscape. His work established landscape architecture as a recognized profession in China. Notable projects include Zhongshan Qijiang Park, Qinhuangdao Red Ribbon Park, and Harbin Qunli Wetland Park.
Yu received the 2021 John Cobb Common Good Award, the 2023 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, and the 2023 Oberlander Prize. On September 18, 2025, Forbes named him a “2025 Global Sustainability Leader,” the only Chinese scholar listed.
Yu’s “sponge city” model revolutionized urban planning globally. His death is a profound loss, but his legacy endures through his designs and contributions to sustainability.