A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Slum Upgradin. How can we integrate water and sanitation with wider urban development?
Marginalised urban communities are often characterised by three things: complexity, interdependence of challenges, and constant evolution. The sheer numbers of people living close together in poorly planned communities can make improving the quality of life extremely difficult. Sanitation facilities cannot be built or serviced where there isn’t enough space for roads; roads cannot be built where there is not enough space, or buy-in from the community. The rapid rate of urbanisation – by 2050, the number of people living in African cities will double to 1.5 billion – means that there is no such thing as the status quo. Every month, every year, unplanned urban settlements get larger, and more complex. In urban environments, issues such as water access, drainage, health, street design and solid waste management are all inextricably linked. Poor drainage leads to flooding, causing damage to flimsy sanitation facilities. Rubbish collected in drainage canals can exacerbate the issue and lead to stagnant water which becomes a breeding ground for disease. Sanitation facilities cannot be safely emptied if poor road access makes it impossible for emptying services to operate. Tackling these issues in an integrated manner makes intuitive sense – but too often it just doesn’t happen, due to significant barriers such as cost, complexity, and the siloed nature of the development sector. This report by Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) and Arquitectura sin Fronteras (ASF-E) examines how to overcome this immense challenge, from the perspective of water and sanitation services. The report demonstrates why water and sanitation improvements can be more effective when combined with other areas of urban development, and analyses how, in practice, this integration can occur. WSUP Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor a more integrated approach to improving some of the world’s poorest urban communities. Of crucial importance to the report’s argument is the needs of residents. Research conducted by WSUP in Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya, has sought to better understand how residents prioritise different basic services. The report showed that whilst water and sanitation rated highly, issues such as street paving, flood control and garbage removal are all incredibly important to residents. The research helps us to understand basic services from an integrated perspective, rather than focusing solely on specific sectors. Case studies featured in the report: Drawing on evidence from cities such as Maputo, Accra, Nairobi and Antananarivo, the report finds that integrating WASH with wider slum development can improve the overall impact, and the ease of delivery, of WASH services. The report recommends that: 1. Integrated slum upgrading is the future, and organisations involved in water and sanitation need to partner with civil society organisations to ensure that WASH developments happen in tandem with progress in other areas. 2. The process of improving land tenure, plot boundaries and road access makes it much easier to improve water and sanitation services in informal urban settlements. 3. Water and sanitation organisations need to get out of the WASH silo, and make more efforts to engage with organisations working across urban development. 4. Too many funders exacerbate these silos, with a specific focus on a certain sector, whether that is WASH or a different sector. Funding streams which enable water and sanitation organisations to partner with organisations operating in other areas of urban development are needed, to help drive
Slum Upgradin. How can we integrate water and sanitation with wider urban development?
Marginalised urban communities are often characterised by three things: complexity, interdependence of challenges, and constant evolution. The sheer numbers of people living close together in poorly planned communities can make improving the quality of life extremely difficult. Sanitation facilities cannot be built or serviced where there isn’t enough space for roads; roads cannot be built where there is not enough space, or buy-in from the community. The rapid rate of urbanisation – by 2050, the number of people living in African cities will double to 1.5 billion – means that there is no such thing as the status quo. Every month, every year, unplanned urban settlements get larger, and more complex. In urban environments, issues such as water access, drainage, health, street design and solid waste management are all inextricably linked. Poor drainage leads to flooding, causing damage to flimsy sanitation facilities. Rubbish collected in drainage canals can exacerbate the issue and lead to stagnant water which becomes a breeding ground for disease. Sanitation facilities cannot be safely emptied if poor road access makes it impossible for emptying services to operate. Tackling these issues in an integrated manner makes intuitive sense – but too often it just doesn’t happen, due to significant barriers such as cost, complexity, and the siloed nature of the development sector. This report by Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) and Arquitectura sin Fronteras (ASF-E) examines how to overcome this immense challenge, from the perspective of water and sanitation services. The report demonstrates why water and sanitation improvements can be more effective when combined with other areas of urban development, and analyses how, in practice, this integration can occur. WSUP Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor a more integrated approach to improving some of the world’s poorest urban communities. Of crucial importance to the report’s argument is the needs of residents. Research conducted by WSUP in Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya, has sought to better understand how residents prioritise different basic services. The report showed that whilst water and sanitation rated highly, issues such as street paving, flood control and garbage removal are all incredibly important to residents. The research helps us to understand basic services from an integrated perspective, rather than focusing solely on specific sectors. Case studies featured in the report: Drawing on evidence from cities such as Maputo, Accra, Nairobi and Antananarivo, the report finds that integrating WASH with wider slum development can improve the overall impact, and the ease of delivery, of WASH services. The report recommends that: 1. Integrated slum upgrading is the future, and organisations involved in water and sanitation need to partner with civil society organisations to ensure that WASH developments happen in tandem with progress in other areas. 2. The process of improving land tenure, plot boundaries and road access makes it much easier to improve water and sanitation services in informal urban settlements. 3. Water and sanitation organisations need to get out of the WASH silo, and make more efforts to engage with organisations working across urban development. 4. Too many funders exacerbate these silos, with a specific focus on a certain sector, whether that is WASH or a different sector. Funding streams which enable water and sanitation organisations to partner with organisations operating in other areas of urban development are needed, to help drive
Slum Upgradin. How can we integrate water and sanitation with wider urban development?
Guy Norman (author) / Sara Márquez Martín (author) / Gorka Solana Arteche (author) / Sam Drabble / Steve Metcalfe. / Silva J. Magaia / Baghi Baghirathan / Carla Costa / Vasco Parente / Tunisío Meneses Camba
2021-05-20
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
DDC:
710
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