GLOBAL URBANIZATION AND URBAN WATER - CAN SUSTAINABILITY BE AFFORDED

Urbanization is definitely one of the most characteristic global chang es of today and of the coming few decades. Whereas the world populatio n grows with almost one billion per decade, around four fifths of this growth is in urban areas. The challenges due to the development of ur ban centers, especially great urban agglomerations in developing count ries in a sustainable way are huge. Water is one of the key figures in this equation. It has many roles; this paper discusses sustainable ur ban water infrastructure. First, solutions and experiences From the in dustrialized countries are summarized, and possibilities and difficult ies to adapt them to large urban areas of the Third World are discusse d. A particular focus in the affordability issue is taken. Various dev elopment indicators and their applicability are discussed. A summary a nd discussion on technical, economical, financial, and institutional a lternatives follows. (C) 1997 IAWQ. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.