Operation and maintenance of urban services: Synthesis note

This synthesis note introduces other resource material available on the operation and maintenance (O&M) of urban services. Designed for policy-makers who need to optimize investments in services for the urban poor, and professional staff employed in public utilities in developing countries, it also summarizes the key issues and recent research findings; presents an overview of O&M and the difficult questions which still remain; and examines some of the requirements for success

Urban sanitation: where to next?

This paper sets the current research-related innovations in urban sanitation of low to middle income countries within a broader historic context. It highlights the key threads of urban sanitation discourse over the past four decades; from putting the last first, to a more nuanced understanding of household demand and uptake, and a focus on faecal sludge management (FSM). Particularly since 2008 the International Year of Sanitation, there has been increasing specialisation around the sanitation value chain and FSM, producing deeper knowledge and several diagnostic / decision support tools. Whist the sector has, in no doubt, made great progress, the paper suggests that there is a risk of (over)simplification. Now is the time, armed with a better understanding and decision support tools, to embrace urban complexity; to place sanitation back into the wider human-technology-environment systems of the city; and to plan for integrated basic services in the domestic and peri-domestic domains

Spreading the word further: guidelines for disseminating development research

Getting research findings out to those who stand to benefit from them is now widely recognised as a crucial aspect of any research project. This book is a product of the second phase of a DFID-funded KaR project that is aimed at increasing the impact of research through improved dissemination of the research process and findings. It develops the ideas from phase one of the project Spreading the Word: Practical guidelines for research dissemination strategies (Saywell and Cotton, 1999). Based on in-depth consultation with Southern agencies about appropriate methods and formats by which to share information and knowledge relating to development research projects, this book provides dissemination checklists and guidelines. It also provides a useful overview of the issues and more specific advise for anyone engaged in development-related research, whether as contractors, practitioners or donors, at all stages of the project cycle. Getting research findings out to those who stand to benefit from them is now widely recognised as a crucial aspect of any research project. This book is a product of the second phase of a DFID-funded KaR project that is aimed at increasing the impact of research through improved dissemination of the research process and findings. It develops the ideas from phase one of the project 'Spreading the Word: Practical guidelines for research dissemination strategies' (Saywell and Cotton, 1999). Based on in-depth consultation with Southern agencies about appropriate methods and formats by which to share information and knowledge relating to development research projects, this book provides dissemination checklists and guidelines. It also provides a useful overview of the issues and more specific advise for anyone engaged in development-related research, whether as contractors, practitioners or donors, at all stages of the project cycle

On-plot sanitation in low-income urban communities: a review of the literature

More than three hundred documents were examined in this review and material relevant to on-plot urban sanitation has been summarized in sections dealing with technical, health and social, and management matters. Alternative technologies are critically reviewed, with special attention given to the relative advantages and disadvantages of each option

WEDC training programmes in Sri Lanka

This paper describes the format and development of three extended training programmes in water supply, waste disposal and sanitation which have been carried out in Sri Lanka over the period 1981 - 1984. It is concluded that professional training for graduate and senior engineers is best carried out centrally, but that training of supervisors of rural construction schemes should be devolved as far as is possible down to district level to be effective

Services for the urban poor: 2. Working with partners

Section 2. Working with Partners is aimed primarily at policymakers but is also of direct relevance to urban engineers and planners. It reviews the roles of different stakeholders in service provision, including government, civil society and external agencies. A number of common constraints are identified and possible ways of addressing them are outlined

On-plot sanitation in low-income urban communities: Guidelines for selection

This book presents the findings from a DFID-funded project concerning the performance of on-plot sanitation systems in urban India, Ghana and Mozambique. It investigates how satifactory on-plot sanitation is in the urban context, and provides guidance on its use for policymakers and professional staff of urban governments, development agencies and non-governmental organizations

Services for the urban poor: 1. Guiding principles

Section 1. Guiding Principles is aimed primarily at policymakers but is also of direct relevance to urban engineers and planners. It presents an overview of principles and offers guidance for the development of an action planning approach to improve services for the urban poor within a policy context which supports administrative decentralisation and involvement of users in the planning process

Spreading the word: practical guidelines for research dissemination strategies - interim findings

This document reviews the interim findings from Phase 1 of a Department for International Development (DFID) funded project (R7127) concerning the development of practical guidelines for research dissemination strategies. Results from a review of literature, case study analysis and interviews with key informants are discussed. The purpose of Phase 1 is to understand current thinking and approaches to dissemination of research as adopted by sector based agencies both in the UK and internationally. This facilitates an initial analysis of common dissemination strategies used, problems and constraints experienced, and factors that aid effective dissemination. This in turn is used to provide tentative guidance for research contractors and DFID alike for dissemination of projects

Services for the urban poor: 3. Action planning guidelines

Section 3. Action Planning Guidelines (3a) (3b) (3c) is aimed primarily at senior local programme managers, including urban engineers and planners. It proposes a framework for action planning to develop local neighbourhood plans and area service plans for networked infrastructure which focuses on the importance of linking these together through a process of consensus building