This book offers a thorough analysis of a selection of Kongjian Yu’s unique body of work.
It uncovers the consistent methods and approaches he has meticulously developed and refined over the past two decades to create functional urban biological ecosystems that connect local environments to broader ecological, geological, hydrological, and cultural contexts. His profound philosophy and extensive body of work respond to the pressing global climate crisis in a deeply personal and impactful way.
Yu describes landscape architecture as the art of survival, emphasizing the importance of appreciating the ordinary and embracing nature, even its destructive aspects like urban flooding. Drawing from his childhood farming experience and ancient water management wisdom, he developed nature-based solutions such as enhanced constructed wetlands for water filtration, ‘green sponges’ for stormwater management, and ecosystems services-oriented designs for brownfield remediation. These solutions have been upgraded and standardized to create replicable ecological engineering modules that can be implemented cost-effectively on a large scale to address various urban ecological issues holistically.
