Structures (Editor’s Notes)
If you’re like most people, you probably don’t give much thought to where the water we drink originates. Our supplies of this precious commodity are so reliable, ample and safe that we mostly just go to the tap and use what we need. I was once that carefree, but no more. As I see it, ignorant bliss is actually inexcusable these days, not only because each of us needs a ready supply of potable water to survive and maintain the quality of our lives, but also because
Through the years – but particularly within the past two or three – one of the comments I’ve heard with the greatest frequency is that WaterShapes is improving dramatically with respect to the content it presents. I’m always happy to hear any kind of positive feedback, but I’m always curious to know what about our coverage seems to be improving the most and always ask those who are making these comments to be as specific as they can. “Frankly,” I tell them, “I’m so close to what we print in the magazine that I
Back in September 2009, I took advantage of my annual trip to the American Society of Landscape Architects’ Expo by stretching things out with a few extra days in Chicago. I’ve always loved the city and was particularly excited by the thought of finally getting a chance to see Millennium Park in person. I’d heard and read a great deal about it, of course, and my interest went way beyond our coverage of
Although I’ve done it on a couple occasions through the past 11 years, I’ve always had trouble writing columns that welcome a New Year – even when times have been good and there have been reasons aplenty for lavish doses of optimism. I just don’t like clichés, and they’re amazingly difficult to avoid when you look to the future with
Soon after we published our first-ever Resource Directory last December, we received this comment from a reader: “Thanks for pulling this together. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to work with the big, fat buyer’s guides other magazines put together and sift through all the stuff I really don’t care about to dig out a few important nuggets. I do have a complaint, however: Why’d you take so long to
Economists, commentators, politicians and just about anyone who’s been paying attention have described the recession that started in 2008 as the worst economic calamity to befall us since the Great Depression. None of us needs their expert testimony to know that the past 18 months have been the toughest most of us have seen in our lifetimes. Just as we knew when times were great that the housing market was ripe for
I wasn’t surprised when Jim McCloskey suggested that it was high time for us to produce a Green Issue of WaterShapes: I’ve known him for more than 20 years and have long admired his dedication to environmentalism, recycling and keeping the planet healthy for his children and everyone else’s children as well – beliefs I wholeheartedly share. I was, however, caught a bit off guard by
Through the years, WaterShapes has published numerous columns and articles that speak to the value of studying and appreciating nature. Time and again, for example, contributors ranging from Brian Van Bower to Anthony Archer Wills (along with others too numerous to list) have waxed eloquent about the importance of getting out and taking good, long looks at the way things get done in the natural world. Those of you who have not been inclined to take that message seriously will get quite a break on September 27, when the Public Broadcasting System will begin
I’m constantly amazed by innovation: Just when you think a device or system or technology has reached its limits, something comes along to advance things a notch or two and the whole cycle begins again. And the most interesting thing is that innovation often comes without truly being driven by need. Take telecommunications as an example: We were all getting along pretty well with land-based telephones when
Through the years, a number of key themes have almost effortlessly woven their ways into columns and features published in WaterShapes. Some of these include the value of design education, the significance of familiarity with art history, the importance of materials selections and the virtues of sound hydraulic design, to name just a few. Another theme that stands among the most common of all our overarching concepts has to do with
