# Urban Landscapes: Kongjian Yu’s Vision for More-Than-Human Cities Architect Kongjian Yu transforms industrial urban sites into functional, nature-integrated ecological habitats. - **Source:** [architecture archives | designboom | architecture & design magazine](https://brifing.si/source/1e716da2-18e6-4704-96a6-818e7860b99f) - **Published:** 2026-11-05 - **Topic:** [culture](https://brifing.si/c/culture) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/0598aab5-3b12-4214-b6a9-25046c5cff99 ## Redefining Urban Infrastructure Architect Kongjian Yu and his firm Turenscape have spent two decades implementing sixty built experiments across China. Their work focuses on the sponge city concept, which treats landscape as vital infrastructure. By integrating vegetation and natural water systems, these projects aim to mitigate flooding, pollution, and habitat loss in dense urban environments. ## Shanghai Houtan Park Case Completed in 2010, the 14-hectare Houtan Park transformed a former industrial shipyard into a public ecological space. The site features a constructed wetland that processes 2,400 cubic meters of water daily. This system improves water quality from Grade V to Grade III, while simultaneously providing essential habitats for local aquatic and bird species. ## Regenerative Design Strategies The Yichang Yunhe Park project, finished in 2013, demonstrates the potential of minimal intervention. Designers converted twelve abandoned, polluted fish ponds into a green sponge system. By utilizing existing water bodies, the project cleanses canal water and manages stormwater, proving that ecological restoration can effectively leverage damaged landscapes rather than replacing them entirely. ## The Philosophy of Sympoiesis Feminist theorist Donna Haraway’s concept of sympoiesis, or making-with, provides a framework for understanding these urban spaces. Beyond mere water management, these landscapes foster interdependencies between humans, plants, and microorganisms. This perspective shifts the focus from human-centric utility toward a collective existence where diverse species shape the urban environment together. ## Ecological and Social Complexity While these projects support biodiversity, they remain subject to human priorities and long-term maintenance requirements. Ecological value depends on habitat connectivity and water quality over time. Furthermore, green infrastructure can influence land values, potentially leading to the displacement of existing communities or creating uneven access to these newly restored public environmental benefits. ## Visible Environmental Processes Turenscape’s designs make hidden infrastructure visible to the public. By replacing concrete walls with terraces and wetland plants, visitors directly encounter the environmental processes sustaining their city. This transparency encourages a deeper public understanding of how natural systems function within an urban fabric, moving away from traditional, hidden underground utility networks. ## Beyond Ecological Utopias The success of these landscapes is not measured solely by their technical efficiency in flood protection. Instead, they represent an ongoing process of learning to coexist with non-human life. These sites serve as case studies for how cities can evolve into shared habitats, balancing human activity with the needs of diverse biological systems. ## Future of Urban Adaptation Charles Waldheim’s book, Landscapes for Adaptation, documents these efforts as a blueprint for climate resilience. As urban areas face increasing volatility, the integration of ecological systems becomes essential. The future of the more-than-human city relies on continuous adaptation, ensuring that urban development respects the complex relationships between all living forms. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.designboom.com/architecture/room-nature-urban-landscapes-kongjian-yu-turenscape-adaptation-evidence-china-charles-waldheim/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._