In Desperate Need: Public Sanitation in Contemporary London

Abstract

There has been a collapse in the number of public toilets in UK cities. Austerity cuts, a lack of legal requirements, and a failure to prioritise sanitation has led to significant health and equality impacts. Research on public toilets in the Global North focuses on their historical production, contemporary design, or on the experience of particular social groups, with less work bringing governance and social experience together. We argue for a focus on the “ungoverning” of sanitation, on how residents “learn” sanitation in the city, and on the need for radical transformation in sanitation approaches and delivery. Drawing on research in London, we set out the challenges for public toilet provision and make a case for a sanitation revolution in British cities. We focus on the experience of delivery drivers and residents with health concerns in order to illustrate the inequalities in provision and their consequences.