Overview

• The crash in Mato Grosso do Sul early on September 24 killed Yu, pilot Marcelo Pereira de Barros, and Brazilian documentarians Luiz Fernando Feres da Cunha Ferraz and Rubens Crispim Júnior.
• Yu was in Brazil for the 14th São Paulo International Architecture Biennial and was headed on a mission to the Pantanal.
• His model emphasizes letting rainwater infiltrate through green infrastructure such as floodable parks, green roofs, permeable sidewalks, and multipurpose 'praças-piscina.'
• He argued Brazil could become a leader in nature-based urban adaptation if authorities produced an action plan within months, engaged private partners, and adopted policies like compensation or tax relief for land set aside for water.
• A critic of concrete-only flood control, he advanced principles adopted in China’s planning since 2013 that have informed roughly 250 projects in ten countries and recent proposals in Brazil, including removing concrete from stretches of the Tietê River.