To Kongjian Yu, founder and principal designer of Turenscape, landscape architecture is the art of survival. In equating the (re)generation of landscapes to means of persisting and persevering, Yu seems to suggest that the careful nurturing of the natural environment is tantamount to the maintenance of the human. Yu’s work looks past anthropocentric conceptions of the world, hoping to care for and provide space for the non-human. Underscoring this philosophy, he is best known for his formulation of ‘sponge cities’, a landscape design scheme that proposes a system of urban development concerned with replenishing biospheres and strengthening biodiversity. The Chinese landscape architect’s crusade against impending ecological disasters—the climate crisis and global warming being the most immediate—take the form of generated and restored habitats: constructed wetlands, greenways, parks, permeable pavements, bioswales and other measures thrust into the concrete sphere of the city, that act as sponges storing rainfall instead of letting it flow out and go to waste. Fostering this relationship between land and people is central to his firm, whose name translates to ‘earth man’ or the symbiotic tie between natural and manmade.

The work of Turenscape—with a focus on the restoration of wet landscapes being eroded by urbanisation—brings to light the pressing issues of water, our fundamental need that we can work at bettering through a more considerate relationship to land. Apart from his practice as a landscape architect, Yu is the founder and leads the Graduate School of Landscape Architecture and the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Peking University. The larger principles his work is centred on, developed through extensive academic scholarship, were adopted as national policy in China in 2013, with more than 70 cities having implemented these green measures today. The goal is that 80 per cent of these cities will be able to absorb 70 per cent of their rainfall by 2030. Recognising a lifetime’s worth of work, the ‘Olmsted of China’ was recently awarded the Oberlander Prize, which honours innovative work for and in landscapes. As the recipient of the imminent design award, Yu’s work served as curatorial inspiration for public engagement activities in 2025. This includes a global summit inspired by Yu’s work, that will address contemporary environmental and social challenges – biodiversity loss, climate change, and social inequities titled Soak It Up: Combating Climate Change with Landscape Architecture.

STIR spoke to the landscape architect and academic about his conceptualisation of sponge cities, how regeneration of floodscapes and wetlands can lead to long-term benefits—not only ecological but social—for a rapidly urbanising planet and the vitality of considering the natural as integral to the built.

Mrinmayee Bhoot: What was the genesis of the sponge city concept that has, in some ways, become the crux of your practice?

Kongjian Yu: After returning to China from the US in 1997, my attention was drawn to the ecological crisis tied to rapid urbanisation in the country. Inspired by my research at Harvard and grounded in traditional Chinese knowledge, I explored the degradation of urban water systems, particularly the disconnection of cities from their natural hydrology. Rapid urban sprawl has led to impervious surfaces, exacerbating urban flooding and water pollution. My doctoral work introduced the concept of Ecological Security Patterns (1995,1996), providing a systematic way to identify critical ecological areas for preservation and integration into urban planning.

I extended this research to focus on creating a framework for Ecological Infrastructure (EI). Urban rivers, wetlands and floodplains became central to these explorations, as they embody the intersection of natural processes and urban systems. Early projects like the Zhongshan Shipyard Park exemplified the application of this thinking, transforming degraded sites into functional landscapes that manage water naturally while enriching urban life.

Mrinmayee: From what I understand, sponge cities envision the integration of natural water systems into urbanscapes. How does this figure in your formulation of "Ten Strategies for Urban Ecological Infrastructure Construction"?

Kongjian: The "Ten Strategies for Urban Ecological Infrastructure Construction" emerged as a response to the profound ecological challenges, as I mentioned before. They are rooted in the principles of negative planning, which prioritises protection over expansion, and ecological infrastructure, which emphasises integrating natural systems into urban frameworks.

They ensure cities are resilient, equitable and aligned with the broader goal of ecological civilisation. The argument is that by designing cities that adapt to and integrate with their ecological contexts, we can create urban environments that sustain human aspirations and natural processes. This vision underscores my ongoing commitment to ’survival art’, wherein landscape design aligns deeply with the land and its stories.

Retain water, slow down water and embrace water. – Kongjian Yu

Mrinmayee: In that vein, what would you say are the tenets of sponge cities?

Kongjian: Sponge cities are based on three main principles. Whenever precipitation happens, keep the water on the slope, on the ground, in the city, and in the village. Retain the water at the source. Then, slow down the water flow. Whenever you have creeks, rivers or streams, you should let water slow down, not channelise it or flush it away, as we have done everywhere in the world. Lastly, embrace water. When it accumulates within a natural sink, give water more space instead of building walls to contain it.

The three principles are nature-based, as opposed to conventional concrete-based water systems. The reason conventional, ‘modern’ infrastructure fails is because most of these were conceived in the West, places which have different climatic conditions.

Mrinmayee: How did your conception of the sponge city evolve through the implementation of tangible projects in different contexts, landscapes and times?

Kongjian: The evolution of the ‘sponge city’ concept in my work reflects a journey from addressing specific site-based challenges to embracing nature-based systems at urban, regional and global scales. This progression has been informed by decades of design, implementation and performance evaluation, leading to a vision where sponge cities are not only tools for adaptation but integral components of a holistic climate solution.

In the early 2000s, my projects focused on solving localised water management problems by transforming degraded or neglected spaces into functional ecological infrastructures. In 2006, for Tianjin Qiaoyuan Park, a barren landscape was reimagined to filter stormwater and restore native vegetation. Then, in Shanghai Houtan Park (2008), we turned a former industrial site into a vibrant public space that treated polluted river water.

As my approach matured, it expanded to systemic urban solutions. For instance, in Sanya, a city-wide network of green and blue infrastructure was implemented to manage monsoon-driven flooding and improve urban resilience. Similarly, Haikou’s Meishe River restoration addressed chronic flooding and water pollution by creating wetlands, improving hydrological connectivity and restoring the river’s ecological functions. These integrated natural systems are to resolve complex urban water issues. Over two decades, performance studies of these projects have proven the effectiveness of the Sponge City approach, inspiring the broader vision of a ‘Sponge Planet’. By applying principles of absorption, adaptation and restoration globally, Sponge Cities can transcend adaptation to become a comprehensive strategy for climate mitigation and ecological regeneration.

Mrinmayee: This makes me curious about the adaptability of the principles. Since the strategies are based on emphasising the natural systems for water within the ecology, how do you think it can be adapted to different climates and ecologies? Say, for instance, what would a sponge city in India look like?

Kongjian: The mechanism is to regulate stormwater and hence, mitigate extreme weather conditions. The three principles that I talked about are universally viable, replicable and scalable. The techniques will differ. For example, if you have a steep slope, you can use terraces to retain stormwater from the mountain, like we traditionally do in South China. Slopes are terraced to cultivate paddy fields. This ensures water is retained and food is produced.

When there are flood-like conditions, we create ponds. In India or Bangladesh, you see many ponds in villages and cities because that's where the water you can recycle and use during the dry season is stored. Or in delta regions like Bangladesh, where there is too much water, you create a pond and dike system. People can build homes or grow crops on the dike, the higher land. In the lower land, the pond, you will cultivate fish and allow the native habitat to recover. These are different techniques, but the principles are the same. Retain water, slow down water and embrace water.

In India today, I think it's critical for the government to understand that the grey infrastructure will fail. We should not depend on concrete dams, dikes and flood walls to protect our cities. We have other factors to consider, other ecosystem services, including providing habitats to nurture biodiversity. If we use too much concrete, we will destroy the native habitat. We should give ecology more priority and protect natural assets. We have such a huge population but minimum arable land. And in the past decade, we have wasted so much land for urbanisation, and we have taken so much land from water. Now, 70 per cent of Chinese urbanised areas are actually under flood risk every year.

Mrinmayee: What challenges or opportunities have government implementation of your eco-sensitive scheme in Chinese cities presented?

Kongjian: The implementation of the scheme has highlighted the pressing need to shift from grey infrastructure's myopic, short-term focus to a long-term, sustainable investment strategy. The issues of grey infrastructure, largely dominant in urban water management, include the fact that these are short-term systems that have or will quickly reach their limits, leading to catastrophic failures during extreme weather events; disrupt natural hydrological processes, leading to the depletion of aquifers and loss of wetlands, meaning reduced biodiversity. Their reliance on impermeable surfaces exacerbates urban heat island effects and prevents water infiltration, increasing flood risks, and they require constant, expensive maintenance and upgrades.

Adapting to these challenges demands a system that not only manages water but also enhances ecological and community resilience. Grey infrastructure is ill-equipped to meet these demands. Sponge cities, on the other hand, provide multifunctional benefits such as water management, biodiversity preservation and public space enhancement. These systems mimic nature, allowing cities to absorb, store and reuse water while fostering ecological health and livability.

Sponge cities exemplify the critical move toward long-term investment in sustainable, multifunctional urban systems that not only address immediate challenges but also build resilience for the future. By prioritising green and blue infrastructure, cities can ensure they remain viable, vibrant and equitable amidst the uncertainties of a changing world.

Mrinmayee: In an era of intensified disasters, how can we work with nature to regenerate habitats?

Kongjian: The intensification of natural disasters underscores the urgent need to redefine humanity’s relationship with nature. Climate change, a byproduct of the Industrial Revolution, reflects an anthropocentric value system, exploitative lifestyles and destructive technologies. To regenerate habitats, we must embrace a transformation that I call the Big-Foot Revolution, fostering a new ecological civilisation rooted in harmony with nature.

The Big-Foot Revolution challenges the industrial ethos of domination over nature, advocating for sufficiency, simplicity and humility. It calls for a shift from consumerism to an eco-centric worldview, where prosperity is measured not by material wealth but by ecological health and the resilience of communities. It envisions humans as stewards, not masters, of the earth, treading lightly yet purposefully to restore balance and heal the planet.

Central to this transformation is the revival of ancient wisdom, not as nostalgia but as a foundation for innovation. Traditional practices like terracing, wetland conservation and agroforestry embody deep ecological understanding developed over millennia. These methods, when integrated with modern sustainable sciences and technologies, offer powerful tools for habitat regeneration. In this vision, humanity thrives through collaboration with nature, regenerating habitats to secure a resilient, harmonious future for all.