"Landscape architect Kongjian Yu, who passed away on September 23rd, 2025, in a small plane crash in Brazil at the age of 62, became globally renowned for pioneering the 'sponge city' concept, a design framework that uses natural landscapes and nature-based solutions to catch, store, and purify urban water. As cities around the world struggle with flooding, water scarcity, and the consequences of rapid urbanization, the Chinese architect and his practice, Turenscape, spent three decades shaping an alternative."
"His vision of the sponge city has shifted from an academic concept to national policy in China and an international model for climate resilience. The concept, officially adopted into the Chinese government's urban development policy in 2014, was projected to influence more than 80% of mid- to large-sized Chinese cities by the end of the decade. Yu's work combined scientific research with practical design, demonstrating how ecological infrastructure can mitigate floods, recharge groundwater, and support biodiversity, while simultaneously creating public green spaces."
Kongjian Yu created the sponge city concept to use natural landscapes and nature-based solutions for urban water catchment, storage, and purification. The approach was adopted into Chinese national urban development policy in 2014 and was projected to shape more than 80% of mid- to large-sized Chinese cities. The strategy operates at macro, medium, and neighborhood scales to protect hydrology, integrate green infrastructure, and retrofit urban fabric. Projects safeguard rivers, wetlands, and floodplains, recharge groundwater, mitigate floods, support biodiversity, and provide public green space through ecological infrastructure implemented by Turenscape over three decades.
Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine
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