ABSTRACT
Water is crucial for life on earth. It is our most precious resource. In many parts of the world, water scarcity causes immense hardship for human, animal and plant life. The extent of these areas is steadily increasing (International Water Management Institute 2000; Rijsberman 2005; UN Water, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2007). The quality of water has been degrading rapidly since the Industrial Revolution, a situation which has been accelerated by the immense increase in population over the last 40 years (Albiac 2009; Carr and Neary 2009; Nienhuis and Leuven 2001). In the Western world, concerns over water extend beyond basic infrastructure to now address the preservation of ecosystems and ecosystem services. With increasing urgency, urban development professionals including architects, landscape architects, engineers and planners are researching and implementing various methods to recycle, store and reuse water, improve its quality, and protect or restore the natural resource base from which it is extracted (Margulis and Chaouni 2011; Planning Institute Australia 2003).
