Description
In the context of global changes, it is essential to explore potential pathways for evolving sanitation systems to address the challenges of the 21st century. New approaches to managing water, nutrient flows, and pollutants are being developed. These approaches aim to consider the recovery of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus resources currently found in wastewater and stormwater, leveraging their potential for climate change adaptation, while promoting alternative water resources to potable water, reducing energy consumption, and minimizing the environmental impact of urban systems.
This theme focuses on the analysis of emerging socio-technical systems related to water and material management, along with their associated processes. It aims to evaluate their performance through an interdisciplinary approach, optimize their operation, and support their deployment. The new management models under study range from incremental to transformative shifts compared to dominant practices. They require changes in the practices of urban stakeholders (managers, developers, residents, associations, etc.), including: implementing source separation of urine and fecal matter for agricultural reuse; using or recycling non-conventional water resources at the parcel or neighborhood scale; and promoting source-based stormwater management.
The theme is composed of several sub-themes:
- Integrated Stormwater Management
- Source Separation and Management of Urban Excreta
- Alternative Water Resources and Reuse