Renowned Chinese architect and urban planner Kongjian Yu, celebrated worldwide for pioneering the concept of “sponge cities”, died in a plane crash late Tuesday in Brazil’s Mato Grosso do Sul state. He was 62.

Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin confirmed Yu’s death on Wednesday, along with three others, filmmakers Luiz Fernando Feres da Cunha Ferraz and Rubens Crispim Jr, and pilot Marcelo Pereira de Barros. The small aircraft went down near Aquidauana in the Pantanal wetlands while attempting to land on a rural farm.

“I received with sadness the news of the plane crash in the Pantanal,” Alckmin posted on X. “Professor Yu made notable contributions to sustainable urbanism, the preservation of biodiversity and the protection of the planet. His legacy will continue to inspire all tho

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