Population decline and infrastructure: The case of the German water supply system

Abstract

The dynamic interaction between population and water is usually discussed in the context of development issues in Third World countries, but rarely analysed for northern, industrialised countries. Nevertheless, the improvement of a supply system's ability to adapt to demographic changes poses challenges for industrialised countries as well, and generating knowledge for developing adequate solutions also implies new, intriguing tasks for demography. This article analyses the relationships between population decline and water infrastructure using Germany as a case study. After sketching the development of the debate on the correlation between population and problems of water supply, the most relevant demographic factors affecting the water infrastructure are described in general. The authors then identify the implications of demographic change for water demand and use on the one hand, and the resulting effects on technical networks and their economic basis on the other. Finally, approaches for solving the problems and possibilities for taking action are discussed.

A Review of Residential Water Consumption Determinants

“…Several studies has been carried out in Germany [45], France [11], and Spain [36,53]. With dramatic demographic growth in many urban areas, cities in developing countries are facing challenges to provide adequate services including clean water for their citizen [54].…”

“…In reality, it is more complicated with possibilities of feedback loop, spillover [45], as well as rebound effects [56]. An example of rebound effect which was discussed in section 5 is when people rely completely on the saving effects of water efficiency fixtures, they tend to change their behaviors in the direction which causing more water consumption [17].…”

“…Nevertheless, the Western world has been undergoing a demographic transition [7] with the downsizing of household size and the growth of one-person household [45]. This common phenomenon occurring throughout urban regions of the developed world intensifies the effect of "inefficient" water use in small household [7,45].…”

“…March and Saurí (2010) recognized that net population density, which is expressed as number of residentials per a unit of residential plot area (excluding collector road and commune space), is the most critical variable to explain water consumption [38]. Although high urban density displays a better water efficiency, Hummel and Lux (2007) noticed a trend of lower population density in urban core area due to urban sprawl [45,53]. Domene and Saurí (2016) suggested several explanations for this trend including: comparatively cheaper housing in peri-urbanization area, increase the preferences of citizens to be 'closer to nature', and improvements in commuting networks [53].…”

Societal Relations to Nature in Times of Crisis—Social Ecology’s Contributions to Interdisciplinary Sustainability Studies

“…Studies of changes in consumption patterns, lifestyles, and everyday practices are conducted to identify recommendations for reducing carbon emission in households [16,17]. In the field of biodiversity, the interactions between biodiversity, ecosystem services and population dynamics are in the focus of current research [18,19]. Finally, scientific and practice-related foundations for transdisciplinary research are developed, and the impacts of its application on research and cognitive processes are examined [20,21].…”