Waterways, wetlands and stormwater basins have become an important part of our practice. Increasing public awareness for the potential of these areas to be beautiful open space used for passive and active recreation has resulted in public agencies incorporating landscape architects into what was previously left solely to engineers. Our home in Houston, Texas brings us in contact daily with the extensive system of concrete ditches that used to be natural bayous and creeks. There is great promise in the changing public expectations for these waterways.