Is ‘access to adequate and equitable sanitation’ for all by 2030 achievable? Perspectives from sector experts on what needs to change to realise the Sustainable Development Goal

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 650-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Hueso
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Past ◽  
Government Leadership ◽  
The Face ◽  
Business As Usual ◽  
Opening Up ◽  
Shed Light

The global community has set the goal of universal access to sanitation by 2030. In the face of limited progress, business as usual is not an option for sanitation sector actors. Through an expert consultation, this paper aims to shed light on the changes needed. Experts believe that in the past, sanitation was regarded as a taboo and a private issue, and given low political prioritisation. This resulted in inadequate financing, capacity and institutions. Programmes were implemented in an uncoordinated manner outside government systems. They focused on infrastructure, neglecting behaviour change or addressing it with blanket approaches. The poor remained unreached, especially in urban areas. Poor collaboration and insufficient learning hindered progress in the sector. However, experts also highlight that prioritisation has nowadays reached unprecedented levels, opening up opportunities for progress. A consensus is starting to emerge on how to address past blockages and on the key knowledge gaps and sector priorities, including focusing on how to deliver urban sanitation, ensuring government leadership and sector harmonisation, and getting better at changing behaviour. However, it will be even more crucial that the key institutions in the sanitation sector display leadership and move towards more collaborative, adaptive and learning-oriented ways of working.

Protection and Development of the Traditional Residential Houses of Leguan Street in Kaifeng City

2011 ◽  
Vol 71-78 ◽  
pp. 4844-4847
Author(s):  
Xiao Fang Fu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Field Research ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Protection Strategy ◽  
The Past ◽  
Kaifeng City ◽  
Process Of Urbanization ◽  
Reform And Opening Up ◽  
Opening Up ◽  
Urbanization Policy

Since reform and opening-up, the process of urbanization of the country has been obviously accelerated in China. But the past urbanization policy has seriously hindered the original styles of cities, especially the traditional residential Houses in these cities. According to the field research on the the traditional residential Houses of Kaifeng City, this paper discusses the protection strategy for LeGuan Street, and gives some advices of development on turisms, educations, so as to realize the sustainable development of the street.

scholarly journals Explaining the outcomes of the ‘Clean India’ campaign: institutional behaviour and sanitation transformation in India

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Val Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Theory Of Change ◽  
Ethical Behaviour ◽  
List Type ◽  
Open Defecation ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Development Goal ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
New Findings

AbstractIntroductionWhilst many less developed countries are struggling to provide universal access to safe sanitation, in the last five years India has almost reached its target of eliminating open defaecation. The object of this study was to understand how the Indian Government effected this sanitation transformation.MethodsThe study employed interviews with 17 actors in the Government’s ‘Clean India’ programme across the national capital and four states which were analysed using a theory of change grounded in Behaviour Centred Design.ResultsThe Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) claims to have improved the coverage of toilets in rural India from 39% to over 95% of households between 2014 and mid 2019. From interviews with relevant actors we constructed a theory of change for the programme in which high-level political support and disruptive leadership changed environments in districts, which led to psychological changes in district officials, which, in turn, led to changed behaviour concerning sanitation programming. The Prime Minister’s setting of the ambitious goal to eliminate open defecation by the 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi (October 2019) galvanised government bureaucracy, while early success in 100 flagship districts reduced the scepticism of government employees, a cadre of 500 young professionals placed in districts imparted new ideas and energy, social and mass media was used to engage and motivate the public and key players, and new norms of ethical behaviour were demonstrated by leaders. As a result, district officials engaged emotionally with the programme and felt pride at their achievements in ridding villages of open defecation.ConclusionsThough many challenges remain, Governments seeking to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of universal access to safe sanitation can emulate the success of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission.SUMMARY BOXESWhat is already known?At least 47 countries are not on track to reach the Sustainable Development Goal of universal access to safe sanitation by 2030 and some 0.6 billion people are still defecating in the open.It is not clear how governments in low income countries can be galvanised to act to resolve this pressing public health problem.What are the new findings?The experience of the Clean India programme suggests that countries can almost eliminate open defecation.The success of the programme was due to factors including: the setting of ambitious targets; the use of modern communications strategies and monitoring technology; and the provision of visible reward and recognition for employees.What do the new findings imply?Disruptive leadership is needed to create working environments where sometimes jaded civil servants are given an opportunity to make a difference.Politicians who embrace the cause of sanitation may find that there are votes in toilets.

scholarly journals A paradigm shift in sustainability: from lines to circles

2020 ◽  
pp. 5-16
Author(s):  
Piergiuseppe Morone ◽  
Gülşah Yilan
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
World Population ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Cradle To Cradle ◽  
Scarcity Of Resources ◽  
Shed Light

The concept of sustainability is attracting great attention as societies become increasingly aware of the environmental consequences of their actions. One of the most critical challenges that humankind is facing is the scarcity of resources, which are expected to reach their limits in the foreseeable future. Associated with this, there is increasing waste generated as a consequence of rapid growth in the world population (particularly in urban areas) and a parallel rise in global income. To cope with these problems, a linear strategy has been applied to increase efficiency by reducing the use of materials and energy in order to lessen environmental impacts. However, this cradle to grave approach has proven inadequate, due to a lack of attention to several economic and social aspects. A paradigm shift is thus required to re-think and innovate processes (as early as in the design phase) in such a way that materials and energy are used more effectively within a closed-loop system. This strategy, known as the cradle to cradle approach, relies on the assumption that everything is a resource for something else since no waste is ever generated in nature. In line with the cradle to cradle approach, the bio-inspired circular economy concept aims at eco-effectiveness, rather than eco-efficiency. While the circular economy has neither a confirmed definition nor a standardized methodology, it nonetheless carries significant importance, since it “is restorative and regenerative by design and aims to keep products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, distinguishing between technical and biological cycles,” in accordance with the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Despite some controversial opinions that “circles are not spirals, and for growth to occur, spirals with ever-increasing radii are required,” the circular economy concept is taking a central role in the sustainable development debate and, for this reason, deserves attention. The aim of this paper is to shed light on this debate, pointing out the main features of the emerging circular paradigm along with sustainability transition theories and circularity evaluation tools.

Cantonese Sojourners and Shiwan Ceramic Roof Decoration in Malaysia

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ma So Mui
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Immigrants ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Migrant Communities ◽  
The Past ◽  
Chinese Migrants ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Face ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Made In

Abstract Over the period October 2006-July 2008, the author conducted a detailed survey of five historic buildings in Malaya constructed by 19th-century Chinese immigrants. These buildings feature roof decorations made in and imported from Shiwan 石灣, China, during that period. The decorations include scenes and figurines representing events and characters taken from Cantonese operas, Chinese legends and classical novels. In studying these decorations the author has come across several recurring themes illustrating concepts such as justice, sworn brotherhood, loyalty and courage in the face of adversity, which shed light on the cultural identities and thinking of the Cantonese migrants. In this paper these themes are interpreted against the background of the social and political circumstances in China and Southeast Asia during the period under discussion, showing how an understanding of the concerns of these Chinese migrants of the past can help one to understand contemporary migrant communities worldwide.

scholarly journals Paul Ricœur et la question de la singularité et de l’unicité de l’événement à l’épreuve de la Shoah

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-44
Author(s):  
Christian Delacroix
Keyword(s):  
Moral Judgment ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Ethical Responsibility ◽  
Historical Representation ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Face ◽  
Theoretical Frame ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
Opening Up

The aim of this article is to analyze the work of the event’s relative desingularisation that Ricœur operates by coupling with the narrative in Time and Narrative in the early 1980s, then the re-opening of the question of the singularity and uniqueness of the event in Memory, History, Forgetting (in 2000) in the reconstructed theoretical frame of historical representation put to the test of the "event at the limits" which is the Shoah. In Time and Narrative Ricœur intends to transcend, through the interweaving of history and fiction applied to founding events of collective identity like the Shoah, the epistemological aporia of the dichotomy between a history which dissolves the event in the explanation and a purely emotional attitude in the face of events of considerable ethical intensity. However, this narrativisation of the event runs up against the traumatic power of the radical extra-textual of the event — the Shoah, which thus constitutes a challenge for the historical representation of the past. It is this question that Ricœur takes up in Memory, History, Forgetting, but this time the investigation has been largely reconfigured by the dialectic of memory and history, contributing to the representation of the past. While distinguishing the absolute moral incomparability of the Shoah and the incomparability relative to the historiographical plane (i.e., possible comparability), Ricœur maintains that the entanglement between historiographical judgment and moral judgment is inevitable, thus opening up the great question of the social, political and ethical responsibility of the historian.

scholarly journals Can shared standpipes fulfil the Sustainable Development Goal of universal access to safe water for urban poor in Kenya?

Water Policy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1034-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anindita Sarkar
Keyword(s):  
Urban Poor ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Safe Water ◽  
Field Investigations ◽  
Consistent Increase ◽  
Strict Enforcement

Abstract With the analyses of secondary data, the study finds that there has been a consistent increase in safe water coverage in Kenya over the years, mostly through paid common standpipes. However, primary data collected through in-depth field investigations in the Mathare slums of Nairobi reveal that the paid standpipes are overstressed and are prone to unreliable services, neglected operation and maintenance, illegal connections, water theft, unregulated and high tariffs and client favouritism on the basis of tribal affiliations. Thus, the most effective way to serve the urban poor is to increase the number of working standpipes with fixed operating schedules per day, along with strict enforcement of water tariff regulations.

scholarly journals Sustainability and Digital Transformation in the Visegrad Group of Central European Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 5833
Author(s):  
Diána Esses ◽  
Mária Szalmáné Csete ◽  
Bálint Németh
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Digital Performance ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Visegrad Group ◽  
Shed Light

The evolution of the digital transformation presents new challenges and many new opportunities, and provides unique solutions to individual issues, both for sectors and regions. The challenges posed by the digital world have a significant impact on social and economic processes, as well as our environment. This paper aims to provide an indicator-based understanding of the main characteristics of digitalization promoting sustainable development in the member countries of the Visegrad Cooperation. The main goal of this research is to study the relationship between digitalization transformation and sustainability together. One of the basic indicators of the article is the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). We examined interconnections between the dimensions of the DESI index and the indicators of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets together in the V4, presented the change, evaluated the selected countries based on these aspects, and set up their ranking. Competitiveness performance data shed light on the situation in Hungary within the V4 countries, pointing out the strengths and shortcomings. The results show the extent of digital performance in each country and the relationship between their digital performance and sustainability indicators.

scholarly journals Placemaking as multi-faceted tool in urban design and planning. A strategic approach in case of Hubballi city, Karnataka, India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita C. Jakkappanavar
Keyword(s):  
Urban Design ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Past ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
The City

Cities are the main engines of economy attracting influx of population from rural to urban areas. They are the major contributors of global GDP and hold high potential for development opportuniites but yet they face many inequalities. These negative effects suppress positive ones if not managed properly. In context to Hubballi (a developing city of North Karnataka), in the past the cultural matrix shared a symbiotic relationship with the green & blue networks that traversed the city in a manner that could be characterized as the urban commons. However, over a few decades, industrialization & changing economic drivers have led to over exploitation of natural resources. Specifically, in the case of Unkal Nullah, a canal which originates from Unkal Lake in the northern end of Hubballi city. The mismanagement of urban development led to self-build practices, poor drainage system and encroachment of low-income houses along the water edges. Lack of maintenance led to waste dumping practices into the canal which was a source of sustenance in the past, to become the backyard or sewer of the city in the present day. This inturn led ecological imbalances which were compromised and neglected to the background. To ameliorate the situation there have been multiple efforts in terms of policies and missions, the most recent one being the ‘smart cities mission’ which also stresses the sustainable development of Indian cities. This paper is an attempt to fulfill the motive of “smart cities makes better cities with healthier people” by assessing Place making as a major tool to configure waterfront dynamics to create public realm, to make people centric approach which contribute to people’s health, happiness and wellbeing. It is necessary to rethink on the matrix of land & water through urban design & planning efforts in making cities more connected with its water-land-people.

‘Top-down’ planning for scalable sustainable sanitation in high-density low-income urban areas: is it more appropriate than ‘bottom-up’ planning?

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duncan Mara
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Density ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Sanitation Systems

Abstract We argue that, if the sanitation target of the Sustainable Development Goals (universal access to ‘safely-managed’ sanitation by 2030) is to have any chance of success, then a community-sensitive top-down planning approach has to be adopted for sanitation provision in high-density low-income urban areas in developing countries, as ‘bottom-up’ planning is much more time-consuming and not yet successfully proven at scale. In high-density low-income urban areas, there is only a limited choice for safely-managed sanitation: (i) simplified/condominial sewerage (which becomes cheaper than on-site sanitation systems at the relatively low population densities of 160–200 people per ha), (ii) low-cost combined sewerage (if it is cheaper than separate simplified sewerage and stormwater drainage), (iii) community-managed sanitation blocks, and (iv) container-based sanitation (the last two of which are suitable, especially in slums, when neither simplified sewerage nor low-cost combined sewerage is affordable or technically feasible). These four sustainable sanitation options are as scalable in developing countries as conventional sewerage has been in industrialized countries.

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