The news of Kongjian Yu\u2019s sudden death two weeks later sent shockwaves not only through the nearly 1,500 participants of the congress in Nantes, but through the entire landscape architecture community worldwide. Many, myself included, had known him for more than two decades, meeting him at ASLA Annual Meetings, the Barcelona Biennale, the World Architecture Festival, IFLA congresses, and countless other events. Tirelessly, he travelled from continent to continent, spreading and promoting his projects and ideas. One can fairly say that his ability to communicate \u2014 and to give his work global visibility \u2014 was extraordinary.<\/p>\n
Yu\u2019s lasting contribution was to bring methods of water retention and urban water management into mainstream landscape practice at scale, realizing them in hundreds of projects, initially across China. His 2018 book Letters to the Leaders of China documents his sustained political work \u2014 often years of patient conversations with mayors and decision-makers. \u201cDesign is a political and social process,\u201d he liked to say. \u201cYou have to convince the leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n
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