Lost in transition? Equity in planning and funding of climate adaptive urban sanitation

Urban sanitation systems will be impacted by climate change leading to negative public,
environmental and socio-economic outcomes. Therefore, adaptation of urban sanitation
against the impacts of climate change will be required. However, globally urban sanitation
systems are already stressed by inequities of service provision, aging and poorly managed
infrastructure and a persistent funding gap within the sector.
This thesis explores equity considerations in planning and funding climate-adaptive urban
sanitation. Sanitation equity under climate change means fair and just provision of services to
all individuals, irrespective of socioeconomic status, location, or other forms of discrimination,
under current and future conditions.
The discussion and conclusions of this thesis focus on sanitation systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, as climate adaptation of urban sanitation is an emerging
topic, there are limited well document examples from LMICs. Therefore, the analysis also relies
on global examples to provide evidence of the impacts of climate change and the adaptation
efforts of urban sanitation systems.
I conducted a global systematic literature review to analyse the evidence base for the impacts
of climate change on urban sanitation systems and their link to common sanitation failures.
Cross-case analysis explored eight investments in climate adaptation of sanitation systems,
focusing on funding models and equity considerations in their design and financing. Finally, I
used the case of Nairobi, Kenya, to examine equitable sanitation adaptation in a city with
fragmented governance. This involved reviewing sanitation and climate adaptation policies,
mapping, and quantifying current and future sanitation service configurations.
In summary, I found a pervasive lack of engagement with the real systems of sanitation service
delivery and their entrenched sanitation inequities across research, funding, and planning for
sanitation adaptation – in particular with those that do not rely on piped sewerage. The
widespread disconnect between policy rhetoric and implementation at the intersection of
sanitation, equity and adaptation to climate change limits the prospect of current adaptation
responses to lead to citywide, high-quality, and resilient sanitation service delivery. The results
of this research raise concern that current adaptation responses often fail to address
entrenched socio-spatial inequities, risking further exacerbation of these disparities under climate change. If ‘resilience’ and ‘equity’ are merely used as labels without prioritizing
vulnerable populations, urban sanitation inequity will persist and likely worsen.
I conclude by emphasising that equity is an inherent part of climate-resilient sanitation
systems and funding approaches for adaptation need to reflect this fundamental requirement
in order to enable system wide transformative adaptation.