Yu Kongjian, pioneer of sponge cities, dies in Brazil plane crashCEFR B1
29 Sept 2025
Adapted from Global Voices Brazil, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Ian Talmacs, Unsplash
Yu Kongjian, 62, died in a plane crash in the Pantanal region of Brazil on September 23, 2025. Three other people also died: the pilot Marcelo Pereira de Barros and two Brazilian filmmakers, Luiz Fernando Feres da Cunha Ferraz and Rubens Crispim Jr. The group was working on a documentary about sponge cities and the cause of the crash is under investigation.
Yu pioneered the sponge city concept, treating urban landscapes as infrastructure to store and manage water rather than relying only on concrete drains and pipes. He founded Turenscape and taught at Peking University. The sponge city idea became a national priority in China in 2013 after the 2012 Beijing-region floods that left 79 people dead and tens of thousands displaced, and it was promoted more widely after 2018.
His methods include green roofs, rainwater storage and permeable pavement, but some projects face limits. A project in Zhengzhou drew criticism after a severe 2021 flood that claimed 12 lives. Chinese coastal and industrial areas also need strong coordination to restore hardened banks to wetlands.
Difficult words
- architect — A person who designs buildings and spaces.
- sponge — A material that absorbs water.
- investigation — The process of finding out what happened.
- urban — Related to a city or town.
- contributions — Things given to help something or someone.
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How can cities improve their resilience to climate change?
- What do you think is the role of architects in urban planning?
- In what ways can nature be integrated into city design?
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