Water in the urban landscape

Abstract

This report is the result of a study of tne qualities of water, its use in the urban landscape, and the methods of manipulating its qualities to create a pleasing display and thus enhance urban space. It is not a design guide or a presentation of new ideas. It is a collation of what is already known and written about the use of water in the urban landscape, but is not always easily retrievable. Good material on the philosophy and qualities of water, design methods and constraints, history of water design, and mechanics can be found in a number of books, but rarely altogether in the one book. The designer must know about all these aspects of water design. This report serves to do this and presents it in a logical form - but not in detail. More detailed material on a particular aspect can be found in books that cover that aspect well. As a conclusion to this report, examples of Wellington water features, though not all in the urban landscape, serve to illustrate some of the points made earlier in the report. It was found that the qualities of water are numerous and the methods of manipulating them to enhance urban space, subject to certain design constraints, is only limited by the designers imagination. Well designed water features, appropriately located, will enhance and revitalize urban open space. There is certainly a lack of decorative water use in Wellington, indeed in many of New Zealand's large towns and cities. There is, therefore, a case for increased use of water as a landscape element in the urban environment, but over-use is just as bad as under-use. Though primarily for my own use in later life, this report could be used by architects and other designers as a starting point for the design of water features for the urban landscape, It could also be used as a starting point for further, more detailed, research on particular aspects of water design - for example, history of water design. At the very least, I hope it will inspire someone to use water more often and more imaginatively, as an alternative to other decorative landscape elements, in the urban environment.