09/04/2026
Kongjian Yu changed the way the world thinks about water, cities, and landscape.
Now, a group of his friends, colleagues, and fellow landscape architects is working with the Central Park Conservancy to create a permanent memorial bench in his honor beside Harlem Meer.
The location is fitting: a place where water, vegetation, public life, and the changing seasons come together—an everyday landscape that quietly reflects the principles Yu spent his career championing.
The campaign is raising $20,000 for the memorial, with more than $6,000 already contributed. The organizers hope to complete the fundraising by September 20, ahead of the first anniversary of Yu’s death on September 23.
Read Ethan Wu’s story on LAND8 and learn more about the memorial and how you can contribute: https://bit.ly/4ctR9lh
Nearly one year after his death, a group of landscape architects is working to create the Kongjian Yu memorial bench in Central Park.