Neither rural nor urban: Service delivery options that work for the peri-urban poor

Abstract

This chapter examines why it is necessary and relevant to overcome the rural-urban divide in order to obtain a better grasp of the water and sanitation (WATSAN) needs of the peri-urban poor. While explicit concern with the nature and impact of rural-urban linkages on people's livelihoods and quality of life is relatively recent, assumptions about the role of urban and rural areas and their relationship are implicit in almost all development theories. Aimed at taking the reader beyond the rural-urban dichotomy and public-private controversy, the discussion explores the multiple practices and arrangements by which the peri-urban poor actually access water and sanitation on the ground. The concept of 'service co-production' is presented in this context as a means to explore meaningful institutional mechanisms to support their multiple practices and arrangements and their role and rights as key agents of change. The chapter concludes with an examination of how the previously discussed conceptual developments and empirical evidence can aid the identification of service delivery options that work for the peri-urban poor. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.