IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v8y2016i12p1289-d84700.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Towards “Sustainable” Sanitation: Challenges and Opportunities in Urban Areas

Author

Listed:
  • Kim Andersson

    (Stockholm Environment Institute, Linnégatan 87D, 115 23 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Sarah Dickin

    (Stockholm Environment Institute, Linnégatan 87D, 115 23 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Arno Rosemarin

    (Stockholm Environment Institute, Linnégatan 87D, 115 23 Stockholm, Sweden)

Abstract

While sanitation is fundamental for health and wellbeing, cities of all sizes face growing challenges in providing safe, affordable and functional sanitation systems that are also sustainable. Factors such as limited political will, inadequate technical, financial and institutional capacities and failure to integrate safe sanitation systems into broader urban development have led to a persistence of unsustainable systems and missed opportunities to tackle overlapping and interacting urban challenges. This paper reviews challenges associated with providing sanitation systems in urban areas and explores ways to promote sustainable sanitation in cities. It focuses on opportunities to stimulate sustainable sanitation approaches from a resource recovery perspective, generating added value to society while protecting human and ecosystem health. We show how, if integrated within urban development, sustainable sanitation has great potential to catalyse action and contribute to multiple sustainable development goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Kim Andersson & Sarah Dickin & Arno Rosemarin, 2016. "Towards “Sustainable” Sanitation: Challenges and Opportunities in Urban Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:12:p:1289-:d:84700
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/12/1289/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/12/1289/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kesztenbaum, Lionel & Rosenthal, Jean-Laurent, 2017. "Sewers’ diffusion and the decline of mortality: The case of Paris, 1880–1914," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 174-186.
    2. Unesco Unesco, 2015. "Water for a Sustainable World," Working Papers id:6657, eSocialSciences.
    3. Drechsel, Pay & Graefe, S. & Sonou, M. & Cofie, Olufunke, 2006. "Informal irrigation in urban West Africa: An overview," IWMI Research Reports H039249, International Water Management Institute.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Denise Silveti & Kim Andersson, 2019. "Challenges of Governing Off-Grid “Productive” Sanitation in Peri-Urban Areas: Comparison of Case Studies in Bolivia and South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-9, June.
    2. Cherunya, Pauline C. & Ahlborg, Helene & Truffer, Bernhard, 2020. "Anchoring innovations in oscillating domestic spaces: Why sanitation service offerings fail in informal settlements," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(1).
    3. Rebecca Scott & Pippa Scott & Peter Hawkins & Isabel Blackett & Andrew Cotton & Alix Lerebours, 2019. "Integrating Basic Urban Services for Better Sanitation Outcomes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-17, November.
    4. Semwanga, Jordan Paul & Sseruyange, John & Niringiye, Aggrey, 2024. "The Impact of Sludge Manure Adoption on Crop Yields: Evidence from a Propensity Score Matching Approach," African Journal of Economic Review, African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 12(2), June.
    5. Büscher, Chris, 2023. "Turning poo into profit? The troubled politics of a biogas-based sanitation business model in Mozambique," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    6. Berta Moya & Ruben Sakrabani & Alison Parker, 2019. "Realizing the Circular Economy for Sanitation: Assessing Enabling Conditions and Barriers to the Commercialization of Human Excreta Derived Fertilizer in Haiti and Kenya," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-15, June.
    7. Licciardello, F. & Milani, M. & Consoli, S. & Pappalardo, N. & Barbagallo, S. & Cirelli, G., 2018. "Wastewater tertiary treatment options to match reuse standards in agriculture," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 232-242.
    8. Ismaila Rimi Abubakar, 2017. "Access to Sanitation Facilities among Nigerian Households: Determinants and Sustainability Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-17, April.
    9. Gunilla Öberg & Geneviève S. Metson & Yusuke Kuwayama & Steven A. Conrad, 2020. "Conventional Sewer Systems Are Too Time-Consuming, Costly and Inflexible to Meet the Challenges of the 21st Century," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-17, August.
    10. Joanna Williams, 2019. "Circular Cities: Challenges to Implementing Looping Actions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-22, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Roobavannan, M. & Kandasamy, J. & Pande, S. & Vigneswaran, S. & Sivapalan, M., 2020. "Sustainability of agricultural basin development under uncertain future climate and economic conditions: A socio-hydrological analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    2. Kathrin Stenchly & Marc Victor Hansen & Katharina Stein & Andreas Buerkert & Wilhelm Loewenstein, 2018. "Income Vulnerability of West African Farming Households to Losses in Pollination Services: A Case Study from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-12, November.
    3. Daniele T. P. Souza & Eugenia A. Kuhn & Arjen E. J. Wals & Pedro R. Jacobi, 2020. "Learning in, with, and through the Territory: Territory-Based Learning as a Catalyst for Urban Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-19, April.
    4. Leakey, Roger & Kranjac-Berisavljevic, Gordana & Caron, Patrick & Craufurd, Peter & Martin, Adrienne M. & McDonald, Andy & Abedini, Walter & Afiff, Suraya & Bakurin, Ndey & Bass, Steve & Hilbeck, Ange, 2009. "Impacts of AKST on development and sustainability goals," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    5. Caldera, Upeksha & Breyer, Christian, 2020. "Strengthening the global water supply through a decarbonised global desalination sector and improved irrigation systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    6. F. Akinola & F. & M. & O. Lasisi & B & S. Awe, 2021. "Impacts Of Dumpsite On Soil And Groundwater Quality: A Case Study Of Erinfun Community, Ado Ekiti, Southwestern Nigeria," Environment & Ecosystem Science (EES), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 5(2), pages 112-116, August.
    7. Daniel Gallardo‐Albarrán, 2020. "Sanitary infrastructures and the decline of mortality in Germany, 1877–1913," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 73(3), pages 730-757, August.
    8. Usman, Muhammad & Khalid, Khaizran & Mehdi, Muhammad Abuzar, 2021. "What determines environmental deficit in Asia? Embossing the role of renewable and non-renewable energy utilization," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 1165-1176.
    9. Cavalcante, Ana Helena A. P., 2015. "Barriers and opportunities for climate adaptation: The water crisis in Greater São Paulo," The Constitutional Economics Network Working Papers 04-2015, University of Freiburg, Department of Economic Policy and Constitutional Economic Theory.
    10. P. van Rensburg, 2016. "Overcoming global water reuse barriers: the Windhoek experience," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(4), pages 622-636, July.
    11. Barry, Boubacar & Kortatsi, Benony & Forkuor, Gerald & Gumma, Murali Krishna & Namara, Regassa E. & Rebelo, Lisa-Maria & van den Berg, Joost & Laube, Wolfram, 2010. "Shallow groundwater in the Atankwidi Catchment of the White Volta Basin: current status and future sustainability," IWMI Research Reports 112969, International Water Management Institute.
    12. Battude, Marjorie & Al Bitar, Ahmad & Brut, Aurore & Tallec, Tiphaine & Huc, Mireille & Cros, Jérôme & Weber, Jean-Jacques & Lhuissier, Ludovic & Simonneaux, Vincent & Demarez, Valérie, 2017. "Modeling water needs and total irrigation depths of maize crop in the south west of France using high spatial and temporal resolution satellite imagery," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 123-136.
    13. Gallardo Albarrán, Daniel, 2024. "The Global Sanitary Revolution in Historical Perspective," CEPR Discussion Papers 18754, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Eric Njuki & Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, 2019. "Examining irrigation productivity in U.S. agriculture using a single-factor approach," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 125-136, June.
    15. Sana Khalid & Muhammad Shahid & Natasha & Irshad Bibi & Tania Sarwar & Ali Haidar Shah & Nabeel Khan Niazi, 2018. "A Review of Environmental Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Wastewater Use for Crop Irrigation with a Focus on Low and High-Income Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-36, May.
    16. Alberto Dalmazzo & Guido de Blasio & Samuele Poy, 2021. "Gimme shelter. Public housing programs and industrialization. The INA-casa plan, Italy," Discussion Paper series in Regional Science & Economic Geography 2021-09, Gran Sasso Science Institute, Social Sciences, revised Jun 2021.
    17. Joycelyn K. Quansah & Cesar L. Escalante & Angela P.-H. Kunadu & Firibu K. Saalia & Jinru Chen, 2020. "Pre- and Post-Harvest Practices of Urban Leafy Green Vegetable Farmers in Accra, Ghana and Their Association with Microbial Quality of Vegetables Produced," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, January.
    18. Chen, Zhuo & Wu, Qianyuan & Wu, Guangxue & Hu, Hong-Ying, 2017. "Centralized water reuse system with multiple applications in urban areas: Lessons from China’s experience," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 117(PB), pages 125-136.
    19. Yuan Zhi & Paul B. Hamilton & Xiufeng Wang & Zundong Zhang & Longyue Liang, 2018. "Game Theory Analysis of the Virtual Water Strategy," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 32(14), pages 4747-4761, November.
    20. Dalmazzo, Alberto & de Blasio, Guido & Poy, Samuele, 2022. "Can Public Housing Trigger Industrialization?," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:12:p:1289-:d:84700. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.