TABLE OF CONTENTS Water is critical for survival. The human body is 75 percent water, and we cannot live without it. Water is necessary to raise crops and animals, and throughout the centuries, civilizations have risen and fallen because of water's effect on commerce, defense, and other aspects of life. Every capital in the United States and every major city in the world is located on water. Because plentiful water signifies thriving commerce, it is not surprising that water has become a metaphor for success and prosperity. Water has a great deal of personal psychological significance to us, running the gamut from the fluid that was our initial source of existence, to our daily sustenance, to the source of economic success, to the lake or pool that is a place just to have fun. Water features, therefore, are a design tool that can add a sense of vital energy to a property or space. The best siting of a building in relationship to water and the specific placement of a water feature can add or detract from the image that people have of themselves and convey to others. Water features can also be used to enhance people's lives through the use of the Bagua or to create a better balance of the Five Elements of a space.
When a town is built near water, it always "faces" the water. Although the town center may have grown away from the water over the years, it...
