WLA: Remembering Kongjian Yu 1963-2025

This article honors landscape architect Kongjian Yu (1963–2025), recounting his extraordinary role as educator, practitioner, and visionary. As professor at Peking University and founder of Turenscape, Yu not only formulated the “Sponge City” concept but also successfully advocated its adoption into governmental policies and real-world urban planning. The author emphasizes that Yu’s greatest achievement lies not merely in promoting sustainable landscapes, but in persuading governments and clients to embed these ideas in built environments, thereby influencing landscapes globally. Through notable projects—including the 2010 Shanghai Expo’s Houtan Park—the article demonstrates how Yu challenged traditional engineering mindsets and empowered natural water systems. It calls on readers to follow his legacy: treating water as a precious resource and advancing the vision of a “Sponge Planet.”

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Source: https://worldlandscapearchitect.com/remembering-kongjian-yu-1963-2025/?v=0b3b97fa6688