Guidance Notes on Services for the Urban Poor: A Practical Guide for Improving Water Supply and Sanitation Services

In 2006-2007, the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) initiated research to identify barriers to services delivery for the urban poor. The findings of the research were presented in the Guidance Note on Improving Water Supply and Sanitation Services to the Urban Poor in India. The Urban Global Practice Team of WSP decided to expand the work to a global context.

The Guidance Notes provide a systematic analysis of the barriers to service delivery  for the urban poor and recommend practical solutions and strategic to overcome these barriers. The Guidance Notes are based on an in-depth research of various initiatives from Africa, East and South Asia, and Latin America. These notes are aimed primarily at project planners, service providers, and community leaders but provide some suggestions for policymakers. An accompanying volume, Global Experiences on Expanding Services to the Urban Poor, is a documentation of ’Global Case Studies’ and ’Consultations with Urban Poor Communities’.

Contents:

Executive Summary

Section 1: Introduction

Section 2: Give the Poor a Voice

Section 3: Build Support for Improving Services

Section 4: Eliminate Administrative and Legal Barriers

Section 5: Strengthen Capacity, Autonomy, and Accountability of Service Providers and Provide Incentives to Serve the Poor

Section 6: Adopt Appropriate Investment Finance, Cost Recovery, and Subsidy Policies

Section 7: Overcome Physical and Technical Barriers

Section 8: Summary of Policy Issues

Resources