Renowned landscape architect and NMBU honorary doctor Kongjian Yu has died in a plane crash in Brazil. He was known for his groundbreaking ‘sponge city’ concept that uses nature-based solutions to help cities manage flooding. He was 62 years old.
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Professor Kongjian Yu was one of the world’s most renowned landscape architects. He was a professor at Peking University and founder of Turenscape, a firm designing nature-based solutions to create resilient and sustainable cities.
NMBU Honorary Doctor
In 2019, Yu was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in recognition of his revolutionary contributions to landscape architecture and urban planning. His nomination came as part of the university’s 100th-anniversary celebration of the establishment of landscape architecture as an academic discipline.
“Yu’s innovative thoughts and ideas about landscape architecture have influenced an entire profession, including practitioners, academia, and students,” says Tore Edvard Bergaust, former head of NMBU’s School of Landscape Architecture and one of those who nominated Yu for the honorary award.
“He introduced and defined a new sustainable aesthetic, which he called ‘big foot aesthetics’—an aesthetic that works with nature rather than against it. This stands in contrast to ‘little foot aesthetics,’ a term referencing China's historical tradition of foot binding, which went against natural principles,” explains Bergaust.
“It’s important to make friends with water”
Similarly, Yu promoted the idea of working with water rather than fighting it in the context of flooding cities.
His ‘sponge city’ concept, inspired by ancient Chinese water management systems, was designed to make cities more resilient to flooding and water scarcity. The idea is to use parks, green spaces, permeable pavements, and green roofs to absorb, store, purify, and slowly release rainwater—rather than letting it run off quickly through concrete drainage systems.
“It’s important to make friends with water,” Yu famously said.
International role model
“Yu was a role model for many landscape architects, both in China and beyond,” says Lei Gao, Associate Professor in landscape architecture at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
“He used ancient wisdom in an innovative way. He understood the importance of influencing policymakers, such as through a series of letters to mayors about where not to build.”
“His sponge city and ecological restoration theories have been adopted by the Chinese government for nationwide ecological campaigns,” adds Gao. “He also dedicated himself to raising awareness among younger generations and the public at large, through teaching, public lectures, and, more recently, social media and films.”
Making an impact until the end
According to The Guardian, the accident occurred in the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil. Yu was traveling to the state of Mato Grosso do Sul to work on a documentary about his work.
He was aboard a single-engine Cessna aircraft with three others: Brazilian filmmakers Luiz Ferraz and Rubens Crispim Junior, and pilot Marcelo Pereira de Barros. All four were killed when the plane went down on Tuesday afternoon.
Just days before his death, Yu participated in a conference in Brasília organized by the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil. He discussed how his ‘sponge city’ principles could be applied to Brazilian cities to enhance urban sustainability and resilience.
The loss of Kongjian Yu will be sorely felt in the fields of landscape architecture, urban planning, and environmental sustainability.
“We believe Yu’s pioneering ideas will continue to shape cities for generations to come,” says Gao.
NMBU extends its deepest condolences to Kongjian Yu’s family, colleagues, and all who were touched by his life and work.
Translated into Chinese by Lei Gao:
悼念俞孔坚教授（1963-2025）
著名景观建筑师、挪威生命科学大学荣誉博士俞孔坚在巴西的一次飞机失事中不幸遇难，享年62岁。俞孔坚以其开创性的“海绵城市”理念而闻名，该理念利用基于自然的解决方案帮助城市管理洪水。
俞孔坚是世界著名的景观建筑师，北京大学教授，他创办的土人设计Turenscape 致力于设计基于自然的解决方案，打造可持续的韧性城市。
挪威生命科学大学荣誉博士
2019年，俞孔坚教授来到挪威，接受挪威生命科学大学（NMBU）为表彰其在景观建筑和城市规划领域的革命性贡献而授予的荣誉博士学位。他的提名也是该大学庆祝景观建筑学科创立100周年的活动之一。
NMBU景观建筑学系前系主任、俞孔坚荣誉博士提名人之一托尔·爱德华·贝尔高斯 (Tore Edvard Bergaus) 说道：“俞孔坚在景观设计方面的创新思想和理念影响了从职业景观建筑师、学术界到在校学生的整个行业。他创造并定义了一种新的可持续美学 “大脚美学”，这是一种顺应自然而非对抗自然的美学，与违背自然规律的“小脚美学”形成鲜明对比。
“与水交朋友很重要”
同样，在城市防洪方面，俞孔坚提倡与水合作而不是与水斗争的思路。
他的“海绵城市”理念受到中国古代水资源管理系统的启发，旨在增强城市应对洪涝灾害以及水资源短缺的能力。这个理念利用公园、绿地、透水路面和绿色屋顶来吸收、储存、净化并缓慢释放雨水，而不是让雨水通过混凝土排水系统快速流失。
俞孔坚有一句名言：“与水交朋友很重要。
国际榜样
“俞孔坚是中国乃至世界许多景观建筑师的榜样”，NMBU景观建筑学系副教授高磊说：“他以创新的方式运用古老的智慧；他深知影响决策者的重要性，通过给市长的公开信传达“反规划”的景观规划途径，他的海绵城市以及生态修复理念已被中国政府纳入国家政策并推广实施；他还致力于通过教学、公开演讲以及社交媒体和电影等方式，提高年轻一代和广大公众的环保意识。
持续影响
据《卫报》报道，事故发生在巴西潘塔纳尔湿地，当时俞孔坚正在前往南马托格罗索州拍摄一部关于其工作的纪录片。
他当时乘坐的是一架单引擎塞斯纳飞机，与他一同遇难的还有另外三人：巴西电影制片人路易斯·费拉兹（Luiz Ferraz）和小鲁本斯·克里斯皮姆（Rubens Crispim Junior），以及飞行员马塞洛·佩雷拉·德巴罗斯（Marcelo Pereira de Barros）。飞机于周二下午坠毁，四人全部遇难。
就在去世前几天，俞孔坚参加了巴西建筑与城市规划委员会在巴西利亚举办的一场会议。他讨论了如何将“海绵城市”理念应用于巴西的城市，以增强其可持续性和韧性。
俞孔坚的离世是景观设计、城市规划和环境可持续性领域的沉重损失。
我们相信俞孔坚教授的开拓性理念将继续影响未来的城市建设[LG1] 。
NMBU 向俞孔坚教授的家人、同事以及所有被他的生活和工作感动过的人们表示最深切的哀悼。