Citizenshit: The Right to Flush and the Urban Sanitation Imaginary

Margaret del Carmen Morales, Leila Harris and Gunilla Öberg
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Margaret del Carmen Morales: Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T IZ4, Canada
Leila Harris: Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, University of British Columbia, 421-2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
Gunilla Öberg: Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 447-2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

Environment and Planning A, 2014, vol. 46, issue 12, 2816-2833

Abstract: For many in the Global North, urban life means that your shit is not your problem. We postulate that a possible reason for the global sanitation failure in urban areas is a disconnect between sanitation expectations—what we term the urban sanitation imaginary —and the practices required by proposed sanitation solutions. The case study presented here is based on interviews with residents of Villa Lamadrid, a marginalized neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which faces significant public health impacts from an inadequate sewage management system. We solicited feedback regarding specific sanitation technologies frequently prescribed for poor urban communities—among them a urine diversion dry toilet with dehydration vaults. Even as this system is posited as ‘sustainable’ for the context of Villa Lamadrid in terms of ecological and economic factors, conversations with residents revealed why this option might not be sustainable in terms of social expectations. On the basis of interviews with community members we have defined four aspects of residents' urban sanitation imaginaries that we consider highly relevant for any consideration of sanitation solutions in this context: (1) an urban citizen does not engage physically or mentally with their shit or its management; (2) an appropriate urban sanitation system requires flushing; (3) systems that require user's engagement with their shit and its management signify rural, underdeveloped, and backward lifestyles; and (4) urban sanitation is a state responsibility, not a local one. Highlighting the urban sanitation imaginary methodologically and analytically goes beyond a discussion of culturally and contextually appropriate technologies. It examines linkages between user expectations and notions of urban citizenship and modernity. Ultimately it also draws attention to the sociopolitical dynamics and environmental justice issues embedded in discussions of sanitation and hygiene. While some of our results are specific to the Villa Lamadrid context, our research more generally suggests the need to consider sanitation imaginaries to reframe the discussion on sanitation interventions, particularly in underserved and impoverished urban areas.

Keywords: sanitation imaginary; flush; Argentina; urban; citizenship; dry toilet (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envira:v:46:y:2014:i:12:p:2816-2833

DOI: 10.1068/a130331p

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