Jim, Author at Water Shapes

The circumstances in which urban fountains are created these days is complex and ever-changing, say Robert Mikula and Simon Gardiner -- a situation they discuss in the first of two articles on building a sense of multi-level participation among key groups of stakeholders.

A Sense of Participation

In his 1980 book, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, William H. Whyte described seven elements needed to make urban spaces successful: seating areas, ready street access, sun, the availability of food, the presence of trees, features that promote conversations among strangers and water - particularly in the form of water features and fountains. As an example of this formulation, there is no more illustrative space than New York's

It's not how he usually works, notes Ben Lasseter. But on this occasion, the opportunity to bring someone else's exceptional design to fruition made taking a secondary role the right move -- even with the awkward scheduling, unusual access issues and a few tricky alignments.

All in the Details

In most of our projects, we do the lion's share of the work related to our clients' backyards. We'll design and build the pool and spa, set up the landscape and take care of all of the components of outdoor living from laying decks to installing outdoor kitchens. We like having that level of control over exterior environments, and our clients seem to appreciate the single-source service we're able to provide. Every once in a while, however, we'll come across a project so outstanding that we're perfectly happy to join a great team, interpret someone else's plans and

2018/2.2, February 21 — Artfully to Plan, Fountains’ Foundations, Civic Prudery and more

THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS February 21, 2018 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE…

Pleatco Offers the Advanced Filter Cartridge

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Caldera Outdoor Fire Pits from Paloform

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Metal Fencing Systems from BŌK Modern

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Crystal Fountains Launches the WDK100 Deck-Jet Kit

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Aquamatic Offers Lift Lids for Automatic Covers

Aquamatic (Gilroy, CA) manufactures the Lift Lid, an engineered system that rises to accept a…

The Future for Pools?

To gain a larger perspective on what tomorrow holds for our planet and our watershapes, writes James Robyn, start by looking beyond our day-to-day lives to see what history, science and astronomy can tell us -- then consider what it'll take to ensure a long, safe, prosperous future.