Sustainable Sanitation in Cities

The Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA) The SuSanA network was initiated prior to the International Year of Sanitation in 2007 in an attempt to promote concepts of sustainability for the sanitation sector. It is a loose network of over 120 organisations working together to promote sustainable sanitation solutions in different urban and rural contexts through knowledge sharing and joint publications. There are 12 thematic groups working on a variety of issues from knowledge and capacity building to food security and productive sanitation. This book was produced by the working group “Sustainable Sanitation for Cities” in an effort to develop strategies on how cities can adopt an appropriate planning, implementation, and management process that leads towards more integrated and sustainable sanitation solutions. For more information about the alliance see the SuSanA website (www.susana.org).

The paradigm shift outlined in this book encourages the development of sanitation systems which: • are based on the principles of a closed loop recycling economy and the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle); • are resource efficient and reduce long-term dependency on energy and transport costs; • open up new options and opportunities for local job creation; and • are based on the multiple use of urban space and integration of sanitation and reuse systems in urban design.