The well -known Chinese landscape architect Yu Kongjian, champion of the “Sponge City” concept, died late Tuesday in a plane crash in Pantanal moisture areas in Brazil, the Beijing University announced in an obituary on Thursday.
The 62 -year -old Yu was a dean and founder of the college for architecture and landscape of Beijing University and the visionary behind China's groundbreaking sponge city initiative. His internationally recognized concept requires urban environments that absorb, clean and reuse rainwater like a sponge and offer a sustainable solution for floods and water shortages. His work, which offered a Chinese model for sustainable urban development, brought him various awards, including the highest award from the International Federation of Landscape Architects – the Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award.
Yu and three others – the pilot and two local filmmakers – were killed when their plane crashed in the Pantanal moisture areas.
“The death of Professor Yu is an immense loss of Beijing University and the global area of ecological landscape design. It is missed deeply,” was the obituary. “We are expanding our deepest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and students. Our sincere sympathy is also extended to the families of the other victims in this tragedy. They may all rest in peace.”
Yu, whose ecological ideas were shaped by the landscapes of his childhood in the village of Dongyu, the province of Zhejiang, devoted his life to realize a vision of harmony between humanity and nature, said the university. As a passionate advocate of ecological civilization, he worked on the goal of a “beautiful China” and to heal the planet. Shortly before the crash, he worked in the Pantanal moisture areas, a global worldwide ecosystem, in field research, which reflected the urgent need to protect the remaining natural protected areas of the world.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed “sadness and dismay”.
“In times of climate change, Yu became a global reference for sponge cities that combine the quality of life and environmental protection: something that we want – and need – for the future,” said Lula in an explanation.
China's spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, expressed a deep grief about Yus death on Thursday and trained his family. The Chinese embassy in Brazil will continue to help at Aftermath arrangements, he said at a daily press conference.
In A “Message from the Dean” Published on the College's Website, Yu Wrote That The Increasing Tension between Humans and Land, The Energy Crisis, The Deterioration of Ecological Environments in Both Urban and Rural Areas, The Dilemmas of Transportation and Living Condition Global Climate Change Require A New Look at the Values and Methods Once Adopted in the Education and Practice of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban and Rural Planning.
zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn