Sustainable sanitation in cities : A framework for action

Abstract

The demands of sustainable development require us to rethink the current approach towards the way in which we dispose of our waste. Considerable progress is being made in the areas of solid waste recycling and renewable energy production but the sustainable management of human waste is an area that is still in its infancy. However, the need for sustainable sanitation is becoming critical due to the need to safeguard fresh water sources from contamination, recycle valuable nutrients contained in excreta for food production, and to conserve energy. Sustainable Sanitation in Cities seeks to define what sustainable sanitation means in the urban context and how this can be achieved within the constraints and complexities of the urban environment. The authors redefine the relationship between sanitary engineering and urban planning and thus contribute to the ongoing debate on urban sustainability. The book is dedicated to innovative approaches to sanitation and illustrates what putting sustainable sanitation into action means in practice. Sustainable Sanitation in Cities is a joint open source publication of the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance and International Forum on Urbanism. This book can be downloaded from: www.susana.org and www.ifou.org The Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA) is a loose network of over 120 organisations from 45 different countries working together to promote sustainable sanitation solutions in urban and rural contexts through knowledge sharing and joint publications. The International Forum on Urbanism (IFoU) is a network of universities, research institutes and knowledge centers with the task to strengthen the international and interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of Urbanism.