1.4 Local level sanitation planning [1]

Summary

Dorothee Spuhler, a sanitation planning expert, discusses the significance of local sanitation planning, particularly in low and middle-income urban areas. She introduces CLUES, a community-led approach for sustainable sanitation in informal settlements, emphasizing its people-centric, multi-stakeholder nature. The script highlights the need for local planning to be aligned with citywide strategies to ensure inclusive and sustainable sanitation solutions.

Takeaways

• 🌍 **Importance of Local Sanitation Planning**: Local sanitation planning is crucial due to the heterogeneity of growing cities in low and middle-income countries.
• 🏘️ **Inclusivity and Heterogeneity**: Local planning ensures inclusivity by considering the needs of both high-income developed areas and low-income informal settlements.
• 🏡 **Domains of Planning**: Cities can be structured into four domains for planning: household, community, municipality, and state, each with its unique requirements and interactions.
• 🔄 **Interconnectedness**: Sanitation solutions must consider the interplay between local community needs and higher-level legal and strategic requirements.
• 🌱 **Community Led Urban Environmental Sanitation (CLUES)**: CLUES is introduced as a local planning approach for low-income or informal areas, emphasizing community involvement.
• 🔗 **Linking Local and Citywide Planning**: Local planning must be connected to citywide approaches to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive sanitation strategy.
• 🚽 **Sanitation System Variety**: A mix of sanitation systems, from centralized to onsite latrines, is necessary to address different local contexts and needs.
• 💧 **Integration with Other Services**: Sanitation planning should be integrated with planning for other basic services like water, solid waste, and electricity.
• 🤝 **Stakeholder Engagement**: Engaging different stakeholders is key to aligning local technical, financial, and institutional solutions with citywide planning.
• 🌳 **CLUES Principles**: CLUES is based on four principles: community-centered planning, utilization of both expert and community knowledge, resource conservation, and problem-solving within the nearest domain.
• 🌐 **Alignment for Inclusivity**: Aligning local planning with citywide approaches helps balance interests and leverage synergies, leading to an inclusive mix of sanitation systems.

Q & A

Why is local sanitation planning important?

Local sanitation planning is important because it considers the heterogeneity of cities, especially in low and middle-income countries, and allows for inclusive planning that addresses the needs of all citizens, including those living in unserved or underserved informal settlements.

What is the significance of focusing on the local level in sanitation planning?

Focusing on the local level ensures that planning is inclusive and tailored to the specific needs and conditions of different areas within a city, leading to a mix of sanitation systems that are appropriate for different contexts.

What is Community Led Urban Environment Sanitation (CLUES)?

CLUES is a local planning approach for sanitation in low-income or informal areas that involves the community in the planning process, uses both expert and community knowledge, encourages resource conservation and reuse, and is based on the concept of domains to solve problems at the local level.

How does local level planning interact with city-wide approaches?

Local level planning must be linked to city-wide approaches to balance interests and tap into synergies. It involves aligning local planning decisions with planning at all levels, including the household, community, municipality, and state.

What are the four domains that can structure a city for planning purposes?

The four domains are the household, community, municipality, and state. Each domain requires its planning approach and they interact with each other.

Why is it challenging to provide sanitation services in rapidly expanding peri-urban areas and informal settlements?

These areas are challenging due to rapid growth, high density, lack of human and financial resources, and limited availability of formal or utility services.

What are the complexities at the local level that need to be considered in sanitation planning?

The complexities include determining the most appropriate type of sanitation system for different areas, planning sanitation services alongside other basic services like water and electricity, and engaging with different stakeholders to align local solutions with city-wide planning.

How does CLUES address the complexities of local sanitation planning?

CLUES addresses complexities through four principles: placing the neighborhood and community at the core of planning, employing both expert and community knowledge, encouraging resource conservation and reuse, and solving problems within the domain nearest to where they arise.

What is the role of community engagement in CLUES?

Community engagement in CLUES is crucial as it places the neighborhood and community at the center of the planning process, ensuring that local knowledge and needs are considered, and fostering a people-centric approach.

How can local planning be aligned with city-wide planning to ensure an inclusive approach?

Local planning can be aligned with city-wide planning by conducting processes in parallel, such as a CLUES process alongside a Sanitation 21 process, and by developing city-wide planning objectives that are aligned with local and state level actors.

What is the ultimate goal of local sanitation planning as described in the script?

The ultimate goal is to create an inclusive approach that results in a mix of sanitation systems appropriate for different areas or population segments, promoting environmental sustainable sanitation.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Importance of Local Sanitation Planning

Dorothee Spuhler, a sanitation planning expert, introduces the significance of local sanitation planning, particularly in growing cities of low and middle-income countries. These cities are heterogeneous, necessitating tailored approaches to sanitation that consider both physical and socio-economic characteristics. The local level is crucial for inclusive planning, especially for informal settlements often neglected in traditional planning. The module will cover the concept of Community Led Urban Environment Sanitation (CLUES), which is designed for low-income or informal areas, and the importance of linking local planning to city-wide approaches. The city is structured into four domains: household, community, municipality, and state, each requiring a distinct planning approach. CLUES focuses on the household and community domains, aiming for a mix of sanitation systems that address the city inclusively.

05:04

🔗 Aligning Local and City-Wide Sanitation Planning

This paragraph continues the discussion on local sanitation planning, emphasizing the need to align local decisions with broader city-wide planning. It highlights the importance of considering local needs and conditions to create an inclusive approach to sanitation, especially in informal and low-income areas. CLUES is introduced as a people-centered, multi-stakeholder planning approach that encourages local solutions and sustainable sanitation practices. The paragraph also discusses the need for parallel planning processes, such as conducting a CLUES process alongside a Sanitation 21 process, to ensure that local planning is in harmony with city-wide objectives. The SaniChoice Practitioner's guide is mentioned as a resource for developing aligned objectives. The summary concludes by reiterating the importance of a mix of sanitation systems appropriate for different areas or population segments, resulting from a well-aligned local and city-wide planning approach.

Keywords

💡Sanitation Planning

Sanitation planning refers to the strategic process of designing, implementing, and managing systems to ensure the safe disposal of human waste and wastewater. It is central to the video's theme as it addresses the importance of local sanitation planning for sustainable development in urban areas. The script mentions that growing cities, especially in low and middle-income countries, require local planning to cater to diverse needs and conditions.

💡Heterogeneity

Heterogeneity in the context of the video refers to the diversity in characteristics and conditions within different areas of a city, such as physical infrastructure and socio-economic status. It is crucial for understanding why local sanitation planning is necessary, as it allows planners to consider the unique needs of each area. The script contrasts a high-income developed area with a low-income informal settlement to illustrate this concept.

💡Inclusive Planning

Inclusive planning is the approach to ensure that sanitation services are accessible to all members of a community, including those in underserved or informal settlements. The video emphasizes the importance of this concept by stating that local planning allows for the consideration of heterogeneity and makes planning inclusive for millions of citizens worldwide.

💡Community Led Urban Environment Sanitation (CLUES)

CLUES is a planning approach that is highlighted in the video as a method for local planning in low-income or informal areas. It is defined by its focus on community involvement and is used as an example of how local planning can be effectively implemented. The script explains that CLUES addresses complexities at the local level through four principles, emphasizing a people-centric approach.

💡Domains

In the video, 'domains' refer to the different levels or areas of responsibility in urban planning, including the household, community, municipality, and state. Understanding these domains is key to the video's message about aligning local planning with city-wide approaches. The script mentions that while each domain can be considered separately, they interact with each other, influencing sanitation planning.

💡Rapidly Expanding Peri-Urban Areas

Rapidly expanding peri-urban areas are mentioned in the script as one of the most challenging spatial contexts for sanitation planning due to their rapid growth, high density, and lack of resources. This keyword is important for understanding the specific challenges faced in urban sanitation planning and why local planning is crucial in these areas.

💡Stakeholders

Stakeholders in the context of the video include various individuals and groups who have an interest or are affected by sanitation planning. Engaging with stakeholders is essential for aligning local technical, financial, and institutional solutions with city-wide planning. The script underscores the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach in CLUES to ensure that local solutions are developed and implemented effectively.

💡Sustainable Sanitation

Sustainable sanitation is a key concept in the video, referring to sanitation systems that are environmentally friendly, economically viable, and socially acceptable over the long term. The script connects this concept to the importance of local planning and CLUES, which promotes environmental sustainability in sanitation practices.

💡Fecal Sludge Management

Fecal sludge management is a specific aspect of sanitation planning that deals with the safe handling and treatment of fecal matter. The video mentions it as part of the mix of different sanitation solutions that need to be considered at the local level. It is an example of the complexities that local planners must address.

💡Operation and Maintenance Services

Operation and maintenance services are essential for the ongoing functionality of sanitation systems. The video script discusses the importance of planning these services at the local level and making them accessible across communities or city-wide. This keyword is relevant to the video's theme as it highlights the need for sustainable and inclusive sanitation planning.

💡Financing Mechanisms

Financing mechanisms are mentioned in the script as a way to cover local investments in sanitation infrastructure. They are crucial for understanding how local planning can be aligned with city-wide approaches and ensure that sanitation projects are adequately funded. The video emphasizes the role of financing in making sanitation planning inclusive and sustainable.

Highlights

Importance of local sanitation planning in growing cities in low and middle-income countries.

Heterogeneity of urban areas necessitates local planning for inclusive sanitation solutions.

Local planning addresses the needs of millions living in unserved or underserved informal settlements.

Introduction to Community Led Urban Environment Sanitation (CLUES) for local planning.

Necessity of linking local level planning to city-wide approaches.

City can be structured into four domains: household, community, municipality, and state.

Interaction between different domains in city planning.

Local level as the domain of the household and community in sanitation planning.

Importance of considering heterogeneity in citywide sanitation planning.

Challenges of sanitation in rapidly expanding peri-urban areas and informal settlements.

Complexities at the local level: appropriate sanitation system types and planning with other basic services.

Engagement with stakeholders to align local solutions with citywide planning.

CLUES addresses local complexities through four principles: neighborhood focus, expert and community knowledge, resource conservation, and problem-solving within domains.

People-centric approach of CLUES involving multi-stakeholder participation.

Promotion of environmental sustainable sanitation through CLUES.

Aligning local planning with citywide planning for an inclusive approach.

Balancing conflict of interests and tapping into synergies through aligned planning.

Practical implementation of aligned planning through processes like CLUES and Sanitation 21.

Summary of the importance of local level planning and its alignment with citywide planning for sustainable sanitation systems.

Transcripts

Hi and welcome.

My name is Dorothee Spuhler and I'm a sanitation planning expert

and researcher, advising organizations and communities

on sustainable sanitation.

Together, we will be exploring why

local sanitation planning is important.

So why do we focus on the local level?

Because growing cities in low

and middle income countries tend to be heterogenous

with different areas of priority, different characteristics

from a physical and socio economic point of view.

So you can see that in this picture in the top you have a high income

developed area, whereas in the bottom you have a low income

informal settlement.

Local planning allows to consider these heterogeneity

and makes planning inclusive

also for the needs of the millions of global citizens across the world

that live in unserved or underserved informal settlements

as shown in the bottom.

In this module,

you will get to understand why local level sanitation is important.

You will get to know Community Led Urban Environment Sanitation, CLUES

for local planning in low income or informal areas.

You will also recognize why local level planning

has to be linked to city wide approaches.

From a planning perspective,

we can structure the city into four domains: the domain of the household,

the community, the municipality, and the state.

Although each of the domains can be looked

at separately, they interact with each other.

For instance, a toilet design has to respond

to the requirements of the local community,

but it also has to fulfill higher level legal requirements.

The local level is the domain

of the household and the community.

Each domain requires its planning approach.

On a citywide level, sanitation, 21 or a city sanitation

planning for the local level, we will be presenting CLUES

what stands for a Community Led Urban Environmental Sanitation.

Local planning is

important in order to consider the heterogeneity of the city

and to allow to consider specific local needs and conditions.

The result will be a mix of sanitation systems appropriate

for different context that address the city in an inclusive way.

The most difficult spatial contexts to deal with

are undoubtedly the rapidly expanding peri urban areas surrounding most cities

and the informal settlements. In this area,

formal or utility services are hardly available.

They are characterized by rapid growth, high density

and the lack of human and financial resources.

So let us look a bit at the complexities at the local level.

First, we need to think

which type of sanitation system is most appropriate, where.

This results in a mix of different solutions from centralized

to based systems to onsite latrines with fecal sludge management.

Second,

sanitation services must be planned along with other basic services

such as water, solid waste or electricity.

And thirdly, we have to engage with different stakeholders

in order to align the local technical, financial

and institutional solutions with citywide planning.

Community-Led Urban Environmental Sanitation

or CLUES addresses these complexities through four principles.

Firstly, clues places the neighborhood

and community at the core of the planning process.

And with this it complements citywide strategic planning.

Secondly,

it employs both expert and community knowledge.

Thirdly, it encourages resource

conservation and reuse recycling

when and if possible.

And fourthly, it is based on the concept

of domains and tries to solve problems within the domain

nearest to where the problem arise.

To sum up, it's people centric.

It involves a multi-stakeholder approach.

It tries to come up with local solutions wherever possible.

And lastly, it tries to promote environmental sustainable sanitation.

While local planning is important to address the complexities.

It is also essential to make citywide planning inclusive.

Nevertheless, local planning decisions have to be aligned with planning at all

the domains.

This will allow to balance conflict of interests and to tap into synergies.

For instance, fecal sludge treatment plans can serve several communities.

Operation and maintenance services can also be made

accessible across communities or citywide.

Financing mechanism can be used to cover the local investments.

To align local level planning with citywide approaches.

Planning has to be carried out in parallel.

For instance, conducting a CLUES process along with a Sanitation 21

process.

This can be put in practice through citywide planning objectives

that are aligned with local and state level actors.

The SaniChoice Practitioner's guide provides

one option how to develop such aligned objectives.

In summary, we have learned that the urban area

can be structured into four domains the domain of the household,

the community, the municipality, and the state.

Second, local level planning is important to consider the specific

local needs and conditions and the complexities of urban

sanitation, especially in informal low income areas.

Thirdly, CLUES is a planning approach

that applies to the local level with four principles.

It's people centered multi stakeholders.

It considers local solutions and it fosters sustainable sanitation.

However, local planning has to be aligned with citywide

planning, ensuring an inclusive approach resulting in a mix of sanitation

systems, each appropriate for a given area or population segment.