9AWW: Citywide Inclusive Sanitation: The Role of the Urban Planning Department

Rapid urbanization in developing countries requires better integration of planning for basic services including sanitation services, if cities are to remain healthy and safe. However, sanitation is often not framed in the urban development policies leading to the failure to realize harmonized and equal expansion of basic services including sanitation with urban diverse settlements growth. There is a strong linkage between urban planning and the provision of basic infrastructure and services including sanitation. This call for policies and regulations that enhance the performance of the urban institutions to provide essential urban services satisfactorily. Urban Planning and Development Department by nature of their planning roles is central to anchoring all the planning processes of all development sectors thus integrating sanitation in their planning cycles, will help in targeting low-income informal settlements and rapid expansion of inclusive sanitation services at the city level. The session will highlight the importance of mainstreaming sanitation into urban development governance towards making sanitation as a public service that is inclusive and focusing progressive elimination of inequalities in access and promotion of joint strategies and plans to build and building city level intersectoral partnerships and coordination.