What you are looking at was an urban waste dump. Coal ash, garbage, slag — those were the only features of this former industrial site in the Chinese city of Handan. That was the dismal panorama, stretching out for 325 hectares, that Kongjian Yu would have first encountered. By the time he was done with it, though, the place would become the vibrant composition of cascading terraces that you see here — one that cleans wastewater and recycles solid waste, with a 20-metre-high mound made of debris at its apex. It’s a marvel, inviting back nature — and people, who were always gregariously welcomed into Yu’s rescued landscapes with whimsical pavilions and elevated walkways.
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Remembering Kongjian Yu, Who Worked to Heal Our Fragile Planet
The landscape architect
and founder of Turenscape leaves behind a powerful legacy of environmental repair.