Sewers and Urbanization in the Developing World

Sean McCulloch, Matthew P. Schaelling, Matthew Turner and Toru Kitagawa

No 33597, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We investigate the effects of sewer access on developing world cities. It is more difficult to move sewage uphill than downhill, so similar neighborhoods on opposite sides of drainage basin divides face different costs of sewer access. We identify the effect of sewers by comparing outcomes for neighborhoods on opposite sides of drainage basin divides. On average, sewers in Brazil, Colombia, South Africa, Jordan, and Tanzania cause large increases in population density and moderate changes in demographics. There is evidence for heterogeneous effects across countries. Estimates suggest that sewers are as important for the geography of cities as transportation infrastructure.

JEL-codes: L97 O18 R3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-03
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