Reducing the Water and Waste Footprints of Megacities

Especially in developing countries, megacities are faced with increasing capacity constraints in their water and waste management, which can be expressed in a city’s footprint. In their Kiel Policy Brief, IfW researchers Matthias Weitzel and Ruth Delzeit analyse how incentives can be created in order to reduce waste production, enhance recycling and to make water management more efficient. They stress that for a reform of water and waste systems, institutional prerequisites have to be met. Furthermore, local characteristics, such as the presence of an informal sector, have to be taken into account for a successful reform.