Unbundling tenure issues for urban sanitation development

Urbanisation in sub-Saharan Africa is characterised by a proliferation of informal settlements which all too often embody poverty; low access to basic services and lack secure tenure. The reality of sanitation infrastructure in low and middle income cities is a spectrum of sanitation systems ranging from conventional utility managed systems to basic household facilities. Population growth has outpaced urban planning and provision and, given projected urbanisation trends, a prevalence of non-piped self-build sanitation systems is the most likely scenario for urban sanitation in the developing world, at least for the immediate to mid-term. This presents different governance challenges especially as informal occupations are often on unsuitable land which exacerbates the difficulties in service provision. Sanitation, tenure and development are inextricably linked, not only with respect to these challenges of urbanisation, but also under the strategic objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Together sanitation and tenure security are primary indicators of the MDG7, targets ten (access to improved sanitation) and eleven (improving the lives of slum dwellers). The link between sanitation and tenure is the focus of this research. Both tenure and sanitation are fragmented into their component parts to understand exactly how and where they interact. Tenure is defined in terms of formal land tenure; tenure status (to differentiate between landlord and tenant) and tenure security. Sanitation issues are investigated with respect to access, household investment and emptying behaviours. The research framework combines the concept of decision making domains to describe the urban context with a city-wide systems view of sanitation, where both formal and informal institutional arrangements are considered. This research concludes on five main points: firstly, tenure security is a necessary precondition for household investment but, given that urban sanitation development and provision happen largely under the radar of formal city planning and urban management, it is de facto rather than de jure tenure rights that provide the security for household investment in sanitation. The second finding is that few urban sanitation strategies cater for those who are unwilling or unable to invest. This is a fundamental oversight in current urban sanitation strategies of the population segments who cannot invest, thus failing to provide a sanitation strategy for all. This is of growing concern given the type of urbanisation being witnessed in developing countries characterised by increasing concentrations low income populations and tenants. The third finding is that those who are unwilling to invest may be willing to pay (and do) for sanitation services. This places a greater emphasis on downstream and operational sanitation activities (i.e. tenure neutral options). The fourth finding is that there are multiple service providers and majority of urban sanitation transactions take place outside the formal service provision. Giving meaning to these informal transactions is likely to offer insight into improved governance for urban sanitation. The final point is that there is a need to widen the scope of formal sanitation service provision to include tenure neutral sanitation options to reach the needs of tenants and those living with poor tenure security. xiii Practically, this means that by taking a city-wide approach supported by the sanitation cityscape tool which is presented in the thesis one can identify which element(s) of the sanitation system are most appropriate to target given the tenure situation. Without this consideration, urban sanitation interventions are likely to be targeted inappropriately. These conclusions are based upon primary data collected from a household survey (n=363) and a series of key informant interviews collected during 2008 in Greater Dakar, Senegal

An investigation into linkages between tenure and urban sanitation development

Demand-responsive sanitation acknowledges the need for sanitation development to be household-centred rather than technology focused. However, these strategies (such as social marketing) have a fundamental assumption that the end user has a universal freedom of choice. In view of the proliferation of informal and rental accommodation in low-income settlements of developing countries, this assumption may obscure reality. In this context, inter and intra-household members may enjoy a range of freedoms and access to sanitation resources. In considering the diversity of the urban poor, this ongoing study seeks to examine how the critical differences in tenure status and associated property rights relate to an individual’s access to improved sanitation infrastructure

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

Tenure security and household investment decisions for urban sanitation: the case of Dakar, Senegal

This paper explores the relevance of householders' security of tenure to their willingness to pay the capital and operational costs for sanitation in low-income urban areas. When the sanitation norm is self-managed on-site systems, as is the case in many low-income areas of towns and cities, household investment decisions in sanitation are inherently linked to tenure security. Based on evidence gathered in Dakar, Senegal, it is de facto rather than de jure tenure rights that provide sufficient security for household investment in sanitation. We make a critical distinction between willingness to invest and willingness to pay for the capital investment costs and on-going operational servicing costs of sanitation. Whilst tenants and those with lower tenure security do not invest in capital infrastructure, they are willing to pay for the operational aspects of sanitation services. Current formal policy settings and strategies for urban sanitation tend not to cater for this group; this is a fundamental oversight as these constitute significant and growing segments of the population. Land tenure and sanitation issues need to be considered in an integrated way and the capital and operational costs need to be disaggregated in planning to respond more effectively to the spending decisions of the urban poor

Using tenure to build a “sanitation cityscape”: narrowing decisions for targeted sanitation interventions

Sanitation interventions routinely overlook the implications of secure tenure for investment on the part of households. Drawing upon primary field research in Dakar, this paper presents a citywide sanitation planning framework that combines existing sanitation planning approaches with householders’ investment logic as a function of their tenure security and status. The resulting framework, the Sanitation Cityscape, maps what is happening to faecal material on a citywide scale and why, thus providing a snapshot of the sanitation status of the city and a rationale for targeted interventions along the sanitation service chain. The paper offers an approach for policymakers and practitioners to narrow the decision-making process for citywide sanitation service provision. It aims to target urban sanitation interventions that are appropriate to the urban tenure mix, including non-networked systems, and a greater emphasis on widening the scope of sanitation service provision to include tenure-neutral operational activities, such as faecal sludge management

Urination needs and practices away from home: where do women go?

This paper places the sanitation spotlight on urination. Open urination is a cause of concern for various reasons including: public decency, public nuisance, smell, health and hygiene. Measures aimed to stop the practice focus on: 1) creating and enforcing laws; 2) changing social norms; and 3) making more urinals available. For gendered reasons, women are less likely to practice open urination, instead becoming practised at withholding urination when away from home. This paper argues that attention to urination can help cast light on gendered needs, norms and behaviours (and how these change along the human life course) in a way that the sanitation focus on defecation hasn’t. This paper is presented in conjunction with a side event at the WEDC conference titled: “Need to Wee?” Please join us there to continue the conversation

Integrating basic urban services for better sanitation outcomes

Rapid urbanization in developing countries demands better integration of planning and delivery of basic services if cities are to be sustainable, healthy and safe. Sanitation improvements are commonly overlooked as investments go towards more visible services such as water supplies and drainage networks. The Sustainable Development Goal for sanitation and hygiene currently remains severely off-track. This paper presents the findings of a Delphi method survey to identify expert consensus on both why and how to integrate sanitation, by which we mean both sewered and non-sewered sanitation services, into other basic urban services (including water supply, drainage, energy and roads) to achieve better sanitation and broader development outcomes, notably for poor citizens. Consensus on why integration is important highlights the physical interdependence of services, where neglect of one service can compromise gains from another investment or service. Consensus on how includes actions to address political priorities and leadership; governance and capacity constraints; clearer planning, procurement and financing mechanisms; and adopting incremental approaches matched to wider urban strategies. It was suggested that achieving these actions would improve accountability, monitoring and service level audits. Experience from previous integrated urban programmes should be incorporated into formulating new sanitation service agreements across all service types. Supported by better-informed dialogue and decision-making between those responsible for urban sanitation and for associated basic services, we suggest integrated and incremental approaches will enable more sustainable urban services planning to achieve ‘quality of life’ outcomes for poor urban residents

Getting the basics right: effective collaboration to improve small town sanitation systems in Ethiopia

This record includes an extended abstract and MP4 presentation. Presented at the 42nd WEDC International Conference

Legislative Documents

Also, variously referred to as: House bills; House documents; House legislative documents; legislative documents; General Court documents

Additional file 1: of Methods to systematically review and meta-analyse observational studies: a systematic scoping review of recommendations

Protocol. (PDF 424 kb