University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Climate risk and resilience of urban sanitation
Abstract
dc:descriptionUrbanization and climate change are placing unprecedented stress on sanitation systems worldwide. By 2050, nearly 70% of the global population will reside in urban areas, necessitating the expansion and restructuring of current infrastructure. Climate hazards—including sea level rise, flooding, extreme heat, and drought—disrupt wastewater systems and threaten public health. Research into these impacts on sanitation is limited and often focuses on centralized wastewater systems in high-income settings. Likewise, quantitative assessments of climate risk and financial damages on sanitation remain scattered and place-based, lacking a common framework for comparison. This study follows a typological approach to classify and group 192 cities across 92 countries based on climate risk, urban development, and wastewater infrastructure. Through robust data collection and machine learning algorithms, we identify 30 typologies and track how they evolve from 2050 to 2080 under two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways: SSP2.45 and SSP5.85. This framework offers insights into adaptation strategies for urban sanitation to help build a more sustainable future. Moreover, we outline two case studies of current challenges cities are facing in urban sanitation, along with strategies some areas have adopted to bolster community resilience.
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- M.S.
- Level thesis:degree_level
- Thesis
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Civil Engineering
- Grantor
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Year dc:date
- 2025
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- O'Brien, William
- Contributors dc:contributor
-
- Guest, Jeremy S.
Subjects
dc:subject × 14Rights
dc:rights- Statement dc:rights
-
- Copyright 2025 William O'Brien
- Language dc:language
- en, eng
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Handle dc:identifier
- https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130215