{"id":169092,"date":"2025-09-25T20:23:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T20:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/169092\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T20:23:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T20:23:11","slug":"global-tributes-for-chinas-sponge-city-architect-yu-kongjian-dead-in-brazil-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/169092\/","title":{"rendered":"Global tributes for China\u2019s \u2018sponge city\u2019 architect Yu Kongjian, dead in Brazil crash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tributes have flooded in from around the world to <a target=\"_self\" class=\"e1yy41x40 ef9u0v01 css-1ankfgb ecgc78b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/world\/americas\/article\/3326736\/chinese-architect-yu-kongjian-dies-brazil-plane-crash?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article\" title=\"\" data-qa=\"BaseLink-renderAnchor-StyledAnchor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Yu Kongjian<\/a>, the distinguished Chinese landscape <a target=\"_self\" class=\"e1yy41x40 ef9u0v01 css-1ankfgb ecgc78b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/topics\/architecture-and-design?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article\" title=\"\" data-qa=\"BaseLink-renderAnchor-StyledAnchor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">architect<\/a> and urbanist who died in a <a target=\"_self\" class=\"e1yy41x40 ef9u0v01 css-1ankfgb ecgc78b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/topics\/plane-crashes-and-aviation-accidents?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article\" title=\"\" data-qa=\"BaseLink-renderAnchor-StyledAnchor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">plane crash<\/a> in Brazil\u2019s Pantanal wetlands near the town of Aquidauana late on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">Three others on board the single-engine four-seater Cessna aircraft \u2013 Brazilian filmmakers Luiz Ferraz and Rubens Crispim Junior, as well as Marcelo Pereira de Barros, a pilot \u2013 were also killed.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">Yu, 62, who was dean and professor at Peking University\u2019s College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture as well as founder of the Beijing-based design firm Turenscape, was widely lauded for his \u201csponge city\u201d concept \u2013 using nature-based solutions to absorb rainwater and cushion extreme weather impacts.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">Yu\u2019s ideas were adopted as a national policy in China in 2013 and the concept has been implemented in hundreds of places across the country, as well as in urban areas ranging from the United States to Russia.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">Brazilian President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva wrote on social media that: \u201cIn times of climate change, Kongjian Yu has become a global reference for sponge cities, which combine quality of life and environmental protection: something we want \u2013 and need \u2013 for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img data-qa=\"BaseImage-handleRenderImage-StyledImage\" class=\"e1o401188 css-1w1l3op e445x7d0\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-qa=\"SCMPYoutubeVideoPreview-PreviewTitle\" class=\"css-zasw6y e1o401182\">Super Typhoon Ragasa triggers storm surges<\/p>\n<p>Super Typhoon Ragasa triggers storm surges<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">The American Society of Landscape Architects said in a statement that \u201cthe world lost a visionary leader and landscape architect \u2026 whose visionary leadership reshaped how cities around the world can work with water and nature for a more compassionate and resilient future\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tributes have flooded in from around the world to Yu Kongjian, the distinguished Chinese landscape architect and urbanist&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":169093,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[87090,76,354,355,8580,87094,7426,49,48,87089,95,6093,356,75,87088,87093,87091,85885,87092,85883,43796,39048],"class_list":["post-169092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-aquidauana","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-beijing","tag-beijing-forestry-university","tag-brazil","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cessna-aircraft","tag-china","tag-climate-change","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ifla-sir-geoffrey-jellicoe-award","tag-landscape-architecture-frontier","tag-luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva","tag-mato-grosso-do-sul","tag-oberlander-prize","tag-pantanal-wetlands","tag-peking-university","tag-sponge-city"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169092"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169092\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}