Urban Systems & Water and Sanitation Dr Graham Alabaster Chief of Waste Management & Sanitation, UNHabitat & Senior Techncial Adviser, WHO
Presentation outline How the world is urbanising The impact of urban form on service provision Learning from the past SDGs and The New Urban Agenda Conclusions
Urbanization trends Globally 54% or the worlds population reside in urban areas compared to 30% in 1950. By 2050 the world will be 66% urban Today the most urbanized regions include North America (92%) LAC (80%) Europe (73%) The least urbanized regions are Africa and Asia with 40% and 48% respectively and by 2050 this will change to 56% and 64% 3
Urbanization trends Most megacities are In the global south (China, India, Brazil) One in five urban dwellers live in medium sized cities or 1-5 million In 2014 close to half urban residents lived in settlements smaller than 500,000 The fastest growing agglomerations are medium sized cities and cities with less than 1 million in Africa and Asia Some larger cities have experienced a population decline since 2000 4
5 Urbanization trends
Urban Typologies Large urban centres include megacities, urban areas with a clear central business district (CBD) and suburbs with varying levels of progressively decreasing population density (Lagos, Nigeria) Large urban centres resulting from conurbations, where two or more distinct urban centres progressively grow and see their population density increase, until they more or less merge into one metropolitan area. (Accra-Tema, Metro Manila) Smaller urban centres typically are towns that have a small CBD, possibly some small satellites and radial linear expansion along the major routes. (Lake Victoria region East Africa) Large villages and small towns are typically quite compact but differ from urban centres as they have little fringe expansion including areas around industrial or commercial activities. college campuses, airports, mining communities, refugee camps. Rural areas low density disbursed settlements 6
7 Urban Typologies, Sewerage and Wastewater treatment
The implications for infrastructure provision Urban technical definitions are meaningless and many smaller urban areas are not captured in conventional urban statistics Urban Inequalities are masked by inadequately disaggregated data and will increase (true globally) The smaller urban areas who have less resources and where there is uncontrolled (and inefficient) urbanization will be most at risk from the inability to deliver services 8
The implications for infrastructure provision Poor quality urbanization means inefficient density which greatly increases per capita costs. (basket of services, cost ratio urban:rural 1:200) For slum dwellers and the disadvantaged who live In high-density, low income areas, high levels of faecal contamination due to poor sanitation, unprotected water supplies poor drainage and solid waste management will compound the risks 9
Percent 100 Access to improved drinking water decreases dramatically when quantity (20L), cost (10% income), and the time ( 1hr) it takes to fetch water are considered: The case of Mutukula Village, Tanzania 2007 and 2010 86 80 70 60 40 41 30 32 20 22 18 10 0 Mutukula 2007 Mutukula 2010 Improved drinking water source (JMP definition) Improved and sufficient drinking water Improved, sufficient and affordable drinking water Improved, sufficient, affordable and accessible drinking water
Can we learn from the past? Are many of the problems that were faced in 19 th & 20 th Centuries really so different from today?
The Planning of Manhattan The Plan of Manhattan was originally formulated when the City Council in February 1807, with State help in planning future Streets. The Council said its Goal was «laying out Streets... In such a manner as to unite regularity and order with public convienience and benefit and in particular to promote the health of the city» In March 1807 the council appointed a 3 member commission to establish the comprehensive street plan (Morris, Rutherford and De Witt). A month later state legislature gave the commissioners exclusive power to lay put streets, roads and public squares There was much hostility but the plan was pubished in March 1811. It was based on goals of «free and abundant circulation of air to stave off disease». Right angles were also favoured as straightsided and right-angled houses were the most cheap to build. Each Avenue was to be 30m wide
Kibera Integrated Water & Sanitation Project (KWATSAN) 7 sanitation facilities now accessible to 21,000 residents of Soweto East (showers and toilets) cost US $ 8 per capita) Each Facility Management Group collects on average Kshs 46,800 (US $ 600) per month Construction of the 1.5 km tarmac ring road across Soweto East completed, 600m of improved drains constructed The youth-organized door to door garbage collection for 400 homesteads Waste recycling has become a source of income with the youth recycling waste paper for resale
Sustainability: KWATSAN today (2016) All except one of the original communal blocks are still working and financed (since 2008) As a result of the KWATSAN project. Government of Kenya, Youth Empowerment Programme (started 2014) has replicated with a similar initiative: as of July 2016 there are 151 facilities that were built, with approximately 80 currently working and 70 under construction). Other projects included also the construction or upgrading of all pre-existing access ways, footpaths, roads and bridges, initiating a major revamp on better roads in and out of the slums.
Planning is critical for rich and poor communities A road network promoted the economic development of Manhattan well before vehiclular traffic was common. This can be applied to the present day in slums all over the world Urban design and form will set the stage for future infrastructure provision (can be good or bad) The systems put in place now will influence infrastructure provision for a long time to come
Urbanization and Service Provision Managing urbanization and planned city expansion in the developing world will be critical to realise full economic and social development potentials. To have long term impact on global health, interventions that combine all elements of environmental infrastructure Housing needs to consider the immediate peri-domestic environment and service provision Simple modifications to the living environment will drastically improve health, provision of water and sanitation, (also improvements in air quality) 17
New Urban Agenda: Advocating a three pronged approach to urban development Urban Rules and Regulation Adequate planning rules and regulations are a prerequisite to the design, production and management of efficient and equitable & healthy human settlements Urban Planning and Design The quality of urban planning and design has a determining impact on the value generated by human settlements through efficient and equitable public space, streets and buildable areas Municipal Finance Efficient and transparent municipal finance systems are key to investments maintenance and management of the city. They should ensure redistribution of benefits generated by urban endogenous development 18
The Synergy of the SDGs for Water & Cities (Goal 6) GEMI & Goal 11 Develop both national and global monitoring approaches which support one another Ensuring Definitions are standardized. Complex index type indicators were difficult to understand and measure and may not be relevant in particular country contexts Encourge more collaboration between the thematic and statistical community to ensure measurbaility is practical and achievable The monitoring ladder concept needs to be adopted Data do exist but remain un-reported. Data must be disaggregated to use as a management tool Between them SDG 6 & 11 covers most aspects of water, sanitation, waste management, drainage flooding
Concluding remarks Urbanization is a complex process but must be better understood if we are to provide efficient and affordable water, sanitation and essential public health. Clear typologies do exist and need different approaches. On-site and off-site can co-exist, dictated by economics Disaggregated data must be made available to municipal level planners (but not only planners!) to manage urbanization and reduce inequalities in service provision, highlighting the situation in slums. Informal settlements resulting from conflicts must be addressed Inefficient urbanization particularly in smaller urban centres needs attention now if we are to reverse the longer-term impacts. New approaches must respect efficient densification Integrated infrastructure provision is essential, particularly provision of roads is critical The need for a second sanitary revolution is now greater than ever! (GDP Rwanda now & UK during the Great Stink were roughly the same)