Contrary to the general decay of the core of most American cities, the heart of San Antonio is a vital cultural and business center, mostly due to the development over a period of years of an attractive and functional pedestrian business-park complex called the River Walk. This water recreational complex was investigated in order to analyze its physical environmental characteristics, its use by visitors, and the attitudes toward it as held by users, owners, and controllers. The conclusions are useful to planners and civic leaders of any city that has water as a natural resource.