The 62-year-old was considered a leading figure in sustainable urban planning; his "sponge cities" replace concrete surfaces with natural features that better absorb water in flood situations.

The award-winning Yu was in Brazil for the recording of a documentary about his work when he perished with two filmmakers and the pilot in a plane crash late Tuesday in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul state.

Police said the cause of the accident was not known.

The other three deceased were documentary makers Luiz Fernando Feres da Cunha Ferraz and Rubens Crispim Jr, as well as the pilot, who owned the aircraft.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he felt "sadness and dismay" after learning of the crash.

"In times of climate change, Kongjian Yu has become a global reference with his sponge cities, which combine quality of life and environmental protection: something that we want -- and need -- for the future," he said in a post on X.

Brazil's Council of Architecture and Urbanism, which recently hosted Yu as a speaker at an international conference, said his "sponge cities" concept has been applied in more than a thousand projects in 250 cities.

"His contribution has influenced environmental public policies in China and other countries," it said in a statement expressing condolences to the architect's family, friends and colleagues.

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