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 ongoing 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. Keywords Urban sanitation On-site sanitation Tenure Household investment Operating costs Dakar Introduction Scott Habitat paper_finalrevised_no ID.docx Click here to view linked References
It has become increasingly apparent that a paradoxical situation is emerging with respect to urban services in less developed countries. On the one hand a huge demand for urban infrastructure has resulted from rapid urbanisation; on the other, existing infrastructure is falling into disrepair before completing its design life. Operation and maintenance (O&M) has been identified by commentators as the key to enhancing the sustainability of existing infrastructure and assets. However, there is a general lack of understanding by stakeholders about the role of operation, maintenance and sustainability in the context of good governance.The aim of this paper is to explore the constraints to operation, maintenance and sustainability of urban services. The findings are based on case studies from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In each of the case locations, projects were completed more than three years ago. Data collection tools included document review, interviews and sustainability-are the availability of information and the attribution of clear roles and responsibilities. Operation and maintenance can be seen to be the most important determinant of citizens' satisfaction with urban services; this in turn leads to better governance.
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 decisionmaking 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.
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