Cities worldwide are facing problems to mitigate the impact of urban stormwater runoff caused by the increasing occurrence of heavy rainfall events and urban re-densification. This study presents a new approach for estimating the potential of the Management of Urban STormwater at Block-level (MUST-B) by decentralized blue-green infrastructures here called low-impact developments (LIDs) for already existing urban environments. The MUST-B method was applied to a study area in the northern part of the City of Leipzig, Germany. The Study areas was divided into blocks smallest functional units and considering two different soil permeability and three different rainfall events, seven scenarios have been developed: current situation, surface infiltration, swale infiltration, trench infiltration, trough-trench infiltration, and three different combinations of extensive roof greening, trough-trench infiltration, and shaft infiltration. The LIDs have been simulated and their maximum retention/infiltration potential and the required area have been estimated together with a cost calculation. The results showed that even stormwater of a 100 year rainfall event can be fully retained and infiltrated within the blocks on a soil with low permeability (kf = 10−6 m/s). The cost and the required area for the LIDs differed depending on the scenario and responded to the soil permeability and rainfall events. It is shown that the MUST-B method allows a simple down- and up-scaling process for different urban settings and facilitates decision making for implementing decentralized blue-green-infrastructure that retain, store, and infiltrate stormwater at block level.

Humans’ activities in urban areas put a strain on local water resources. This paper introduces a method to accurately simulate the stress urban water demand in Germany puts on local resources on a single-building level, and scalable to regional levels without loss of detail. The method integrates building geometry, building physics, census, socio-economy and meteorological information to provide a general approach to assessing water demands that also overcome obstacles on data aggregation and processing imposed by data privacy guidelines. Three German counties were used as validation cases to prove the feasibility of the presented approach: on average, per capita water demand and aggregated water demand deviates by less than 7% from real demand data. Scenarios applied to a case region Ludwigsburg in Germany, which takes the increment of water price, aging of the population and the climate change into account, show that the residential water demand has the change of −2%, +7% and −0.4% respectively. The industrial water demand increases by 46% due to the development of economy indicated by GDP per capita. The rise of precipitation and temperature raise the water demand in non-residential buildings (excluding industry) of 1%.

Water scarcity is an increasing problem all over the world. In order to achieve the sustainable development goals by 2030, safe and affordable access to drinking water is a key target that needs to be achieved according to SDG6. In order to secure more drinking water for the future, sustainable innovative water management strategies that aim better supply and demand management are needed. Digital water meter is a smart technology that is used as a demand management tool for saving water quantities, improving the water service provider efficiency and the social equity. The goal of this project is to see how digital prepaid water meters interpret and implement the three pillars of urban sustainable development (economic, environment and social equity) and if this implementation influences the local infrastructure management policies and politics. Next to the literature, a case study was taken about the digital prepaid water meters (PWMs) in Palestine. The study was based on desk-based studies, interviews and online events. The analysis of the results was done based on five different categories (Policies and Regulations, Economic, Consumption, Social Equity and finally Politics). The findings showed that implying such technology directly affects and changes the current policies and regulations. It helps the water service providers to achieve a financial stability. The water consumption decreases and it stops the wasteful water practices. The smartness of the system helped in taking poor and marginalized people into consideration while applying such technology. Internal and external politics have a major role to play in order to benefit from PWMs. / Brist på vatten är ett växande problem i hela världen. För att nå målen för hållbar utveckling senast år 2030, är säker och prisvärd tillgång till dricksvatten ett nyckelmål som måste uppnås enligt SDG6. I takt med att säkra upp mer dricksvatten för framtiden, krävs strategisk hållbar innovation för att bättre hantera utbud och efterfråga. Digital vattenmätare med smart teknik används som verktyg för hantering av vattenbehov i avsikt att spara vatten, förbättra effektiviteten hos vattenleverantören och skapa social jämlikhet. Syftet med detta projekt är att studera hur väl digitala vattenmätare anses implementera de tre pelarna inom hållbar stadsutveckling (ekonomi, miljö och social jämlikhet). Men även om detta utförande påverkar den lokala regleringen för infrastruktur och politiken. Utöver litteraturen, har en fallstudie utförts om de digitala förbetalda vattenmätarna (PWMs) i Palestina. Studien bygger på skrivbordsundersökning, intervjuer och online-evenemang. Analysen gjordes utifrån fem olika kategorier (reglering och lagstiftning, ekonomi, konsumtion, social jämlikhet och slutligen politik). Resultatet visade att implementering av denna teknik påverkar och förändrar gällande reglering och lagstiftning. Det hjälper vattenleverantörer att uppnå en finansiell stabilitet. Vattenkonsumtionen minskar och det stoppar slösaktig vattenanvändning. Systemets smarthet hjälpte till att ta hänsyn till fattiga och marginaliserade människor när de tillämpar sådan teknik. Intern och extern politik spelar en stor roll ifall man ska kunna dra nytta av PWM.

Inflow and infiltration (I/I) water in the sewer network originates from groundwater, precipitation, seawater as well as over-leakage from drinking water pipes. It is the proportion of water in the sewer system that is not wastewater and causes problems both at the treatment plant as well as in the sewer network. Through overflows, floods and bypassing at the treatment plant I/I causes discharges of wastewater to recipients and nature and thus have negative environmental effects. I/I also stand for an overload in the system which, in addition to environmental consequences, also has social, economic and technical consequences. Despite efforts to reduce and mitigate the effects of I/I water for a long time, the problem remains and a large proportion of all the wastewater in the network and the treatment plan still is I/I.  Historically, and for many cases at present, there is little to no methodology for how the work with I/I water takes place and is prioritized in the municipalities and responsible water and sewerage organizations. Measures have instead been implemented with a reaction based approach, in other words when something has broken down or there is a failure in the system. A new discussion about I/I water has arisen in recent years due to new requirements from supervisory authorities. As there is not much follow-up or methodology around the work with I/I water, the process of developing a strategy to meet these new requirements for municipalities has shown to be difficult. In cases where analysis of measures against I/I water has been carried out, cost and effects in the treatment plant (i.e. the proportion of I/I water) have most often been used and dimensions other than economic have been left out of the analysis. As I/I water affects social and environmental factors to a great extent, this should be taken into greater account.  In this work, a multi-criterion analysis has been performed in a case study where similar measures to reduce I/I water and its effects in two different areas have been analysed. The included measures were separation, lining, pipe bursting and installation of a stormwater cassette. The results of the case study show that measure A2 has the greatest positive effect. However, there are major uncertainties in the case study conducted and the results are not considered to be robust enough to be used. However, what has been important to include from the work is that by defining and using criteria from all sustainability dimensions, a comprehensive action choice analysis is created and that it is a structured approach to apply. Here, the importance of opening up for discussion within the municipality/organization is emphasized to achieve a coherent view of the prioritization of I/I water and to achieve efficient management. Problems and amounts of I/I water are complex issues and vary from place to place, and are strongly linked to local geohydrological and climate conditions and design of local sewage systems. Therefore, it is important to coordinate the planning of I/I water to use a workflow that is general and can be used, regardless of conditions, in a simple way where adjustments in accordance with local conditions are possible. This work has shown that multi-criteria analysis is a clear and adaptable tool for meeting the difficulties that exist. / Tillskottsvatten härstammar från grundvatten, nederbörd samt havsvatten genom felaktiga anslutningar eller läckage i ledningsnätet samt från överläckage från dricksvattenledningar. Det är andelen av vatten i avloppsnätet som inte är spillvatten och orsakar, genom bräddning, översvämningar och förbiledning i reningsverket, utsläpp av avloppsvatten till recipienter och natur samt står för en överbelastning i systemet. Trots att man arbetat med att minska och lindra effekterna av tillskottsvatten under lång tid så kvarstår problemet och en stor andel av allt samlat vatten i ledningsnätet och som kommer till reningsverket är just tillskottsvatten.  Historiskt, samt för många fall i nuläget, så existerar det lite till ingen metodik kring hur arbetet med tillskottsvatten sker i kommunerna och ansvariga VA-organisationer utan åtgärder har implementerats på måfå eller när något har gått sönder. En ny diskussion kring tillskottsvatten har uppstått de senaste åren på grund av uppkomna nya kravställningar från tillsynsmyndigheter. I och med att det inte finns mycket uppföljning eller metodik kring arbetet med tillskottsvatten så har processen med att ta fram en strategi för att möta dessa nya krav för kommuner ofta varit svår. I de fall som analys av åtgärder mot tillskottsvatten har utförts så har kostnad och effekter i reningsverket (det vill säga andel mängd tillskottsvatten) oftast används och andra dimensioner än ekonomiska har lämnats utanför analysen. Då tillskottsvatten påverkar sociala samt miljömässiga faktorer i hög grad bör detta tas större hänsyn till.  I det här arbetet så har en multikriterieanalys utförts i en fallstudie där liknande åtgärder för att minska tillskottsvatten och dess effekter i olika områden har analyserats. De ingående åtgärderna var separering, infodring, rörspräckning samt anläggning av en dagvattenkassett. Resultatet av fallstudien visar att åtgärdsalternativ 2 har störst positiv effekt. Det finns dock stora osäkerheter i den fallstudie som utförts och resultatet anses inte vara tillräckligt robust för att användas. Det som dock har varit viktigt att ta med från arbetet är att genom att definiera och använda kriterier från alla hållbarhetsdimensioner skapas en heltäckande åtgärdsvalsanalys och att det är ett strukturerat arbetssätt att applicera. Här understryks vikten av att öppna upp för diskussion inom kommunen/organisationen för att nå en sammanhållen syn på prioriteringen av tillskottsvatten samt för att nå en effektiv hantering. Problem och mängder tillskottsvatten i olika ställen är komplext och starkt kopplat till lokala klimat och geohydrologiska förhållanden samt lokala avloppssystem. Därför är det viktigt för att samordna planeringen av tillskottsvatten att använda en arbetsgång som är generell och kan användas, oavsett förutsättningar, på ett enkelt sätt där justeringar i enlighet med lokala förutsättningar är möjligt. Det här arbetet har visat att multikriterieanalys är ett tydligt och anpassningsbart verktyg för att möta de svårigheter som finns.

Access to clean drinking water is a fundamental human right, yet many urban and peri-urban areas struggle to provide this service. While rural water access has improved, urban areas face stagnation or declining access to safe water services due to rapid urbanization, environmental changes, and social disparities. With urban populations in the global South expected to double and concerns about water quality from centralized systems in high-income countries, adaptable and resilient water service solutions are urgently needed. Decentralized systems are gaining attention for their adaptability, cost-effectiveness, and resilience, offering flexible alternatives to large treatment plants and aiming to provide safe, clean water at the household or community level. These systems improve local responsiveness, reduce inequalities, and enhance resilience by utilizing alternative water sources like rainwater harvesting. Innovative service delivery models are essential to bridge gaps, increase local responsiveness, and benefit vulnerable groups. Business model innovation is crucial for adopting and sustaining decentralized water technologies, especially in urban and developing contexts. Private companies are increasingly stepping in to provide decentralized drinking water services, often in partnership with government-led projects or community-managed initiatives, filling gaps where public institutions fall short. This thesis investigates private entities as viable alternatives for decentralized drinking water service provision, considering the complex landscape of urban water provision and the challenges centralized systems face. Using a mixed-methods approach, including a systematic literature review and interviews with eight organizations, the study explores how private companies operate and engage with communities to improve water services. Findings show that private companies use innovative business models, such as Social Enterprise and Product-Service System Models, to balance profitability with social and environmental responsibilities, though this raises concerns about the commodification of water. The thesis emphasizes the importance of subsidies, innovative financing, and government support to ensure affordable and accessible water services, especially in low-income and water-stressed regions. It stresses the need for supportive policy frameworks to promote decentralized services in different income-level countries. The adaptability of private companies to diverse customer bases and their ability to secure funding from various sources are crucial for the scalability and sustainability of their services. The thesis concludes that private companies play a vital role in bridging the service provision gap, but their success depends on innovation, stakeholder engagement, and supportive policies. It highlights the importance of balancing centralized and decentralized systems to ensure sustainable and resilient water services and uphold the human right to clean drinking water. The thesis contributes to the discourse on sustainable urban water management, underlining the potential of private companies to improve the accessibility and sustainability of drinking water services while emphasizing the need for ethical considerations in commodifying essential resources.

[ES] El Reino de Arabia Saudí está experimentando un importante crecimiento económico, industrial, comercial y demográfico. Este crecimiento, a su vez, provoca un aumento de la demanda de agua en la región. Además del crecimiento demográfico, también la industrialización y la modernización han ejercido una presión cada vez mayor sobre las infraestructuras hídricas del país. Urge aumentar la disponibilidad de agua para satisfacer la demanda prevista y mantener la seguridad y fiabilidad de los sistemas hídricos. Por lo tanto, es imperativo encontrar soluciones que mejoren la eficiencia del sistema hídrico del país. Un elemento clave en este esfuerzo es comprender y clasificar cómo se consume el agua con sus microcomponentes dentro de varios segmentos. La tesis recopila conocimientos precisos sobre las pautas y tendencias del consumo municipal de agua para comprender mejor los patrones de consumo y los comportamientos de los consumidores, así como desarrollar estimaciones e hipótesis preliminares. De este modo, se impulsará el modelo de demanda de agua municipal en el país para que sea capaz de hacer frente a diferentes escenarios y limitaciones. El desarrollo del modelo municipal de demanda de agua ha mostrado la necesidad de disponer de datos estadísticos y de facturación del agua fiables. Éstos constituyen el punto de partida de la previsión y deben estar disponibles con una resolución suficientemente alta. El modelo aquí presentado proporciona un marco para que nuevos desarrollos futuros. Los resultados del análisis también determinarán los factores y categorías utilizados en el modelo. El modelo se centra en la demanda de agua no residencial. No obstante, se incluyen previsiones separadas para la categoría residencial a fin de permitir la extrapolación de los resultados y el análisis top-down para un enfoque más preciso de las previsiones y, también, para una mejor comprensión general de los comportamientos de consumo de agua de la población. / [CA] El Regne de l'Aràbia Saudita està experimentant un important creixement econòmic, industrial, comercial i demogràfic. Aquest creixement, al seu torn, provoca un augment de la demanda d'aigua a la regió. A més del creixement demogràfic, també la industrialització i la modernització han exercit una pressió cada vegada major sobre les infraestructures hídriques del país. Urgeix augmentar la disponibilitat d'aigua per a satisfer la demanda prevista i mantindre la seguretat i fiabilitat dels sistemes hídrics. Per tant, és imperatiu trobar solucions que milloren l'eficiència del sistema hídric del país. Un element clau en aquest esforç és comprendre i classificar com es consumeix l'aigua amb els seus microcomponents dins de diversos segments. La tesi recopila coneixements precisos sobre les pautes i tendències del consum municipal d'aigua per a comprendre millor els patrons de consum i els comportaments dels consumidors, així com desenvolupar estimacions i hipòtesis preliminars. D'aquesta manera, s'impulsarà el model de demanda d'aigua municipal al país perquè siga capaç de fer front a diferents escenaris i limitacions. El desenvolupament del model municipal de demanda d'aigua ha mostrat la necessitat de disposar de dades estadístiques i de facturació de l'aigua fiables. Aquests constitueixen el punt de partida de la previsió i han d'estar disponibles amb una resolució prou alta. El model ací presentat proporciona un marc perquè nous desenvolupaments futurs. Els resultats de l'anàlisi també determinaran els factors i categories utilitzats en el model. El model se centra en la demanda d'aigua no residencial. No obstant això, s'inclouen previsions separades per a la categoria residencial a fi de permetre l'extrapolació dels resultats i l'anàlisi *top-*down per a un enfocament més precís de les previsions i, també, per a una millor comprensió general dels comportaments de consum d'aigua de la població. / [EN] The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is undergoing substantial economic, industrial, commercial, and population growth. This growth, in turn, leads to increased water demand in the region. In addition to population growth, industrialization and modernization have placed increasing pressure on KSA's water infrastructure. There is an urgent need to increase the water capacity to meet the projected demand and maintain the water systems' security and reliability. Therefore, it is imperative to find solutions that improve the efficiency of the Kingdom's water system. A key element in this effort is understanding and classifying how water is consumed with its micro-components within various segments. The thesis aims to collect precise knowledge about municipal water consumption patterns and trends to understand water consumption patterns and consumer behaviours better and develop preliminary estimates and assumptions. This will drive the municipal water demand model in KSA to be capable of dealing with different scenarios and constraints. The development of the municipal water demand model highlighted the need for reliable statistical and water billing data. These form the starting point of the forecast and need to be available at a high enough resolution. The model provides a framework for the required data to be built on further. The analysis results will also determine the drivers and categories used in the model. The model focuses on the non-Residential water demand. Still, separate forecasts are included for the residential category to enable the extrapolation of the results and downward analysis for a more accurate and cost-effective bottom-up approach to forecasting and an overall better understanding of the population's water consumption behaviours. / Alhudaithi, M. (2023). A Sectorial Analysis of Municipal Water Consumption and Management in Saudi Arabia [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/201553

Sustainable development is achieved through the equal promotion of environmental protection, economic development and social equity. Urban planners play a key role in sustainable development through the mediation of tensions inherent between these priorities. Using urban planning theory that focuses on the conflicts between the priorities of sustainable development and lessons learned from planning practice provides a basis from which to evaluate the claims of sustainability present in the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan. Outreach initiatives, policy frameworks and ecosystem co-management are suggested to make the planning and implementation processes of the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan more feasible in terms of its ability to foster sustainability. Additionally, conceptualizing integrated stormwater management for Greater New Orleans within the context of the Louisiana coastal crisis can help to make the goals of the Urban Water Plan more realistic in the long term and boost institutional capacity to promote regional resilience.

A presente tese focaliza o processo de ocupação dos mananciais do sul da metrópole de São Paulo, abordando um quadro de relações que se estabeleceu na formação e consolidação de loteamentos precários. Os loteamentos irregulares estudados foram construídos durante os anos 1990, em São Bernardo do Campo, na bacia da Billings - área ambientalmente protegida por lei desde os anos 1970. A análise abrange desde a autoprovisão de infraestruturas, passando pela reivindicação de redes públicas pelos moradores, até a realização de projetos de urbanização. Abordam-se as articulações entre agentes públicos e privados, suas práticas espaciais, bem como as leis e as políticas de mananciais que, perpassadas pela especificidade da propriedade privada, engendraram, direta ou indiretamente, a forma urbana dos loteamentos irregulares. Esse quadro de agentes, num outro contexto, também construiu a necessidade da recuperação ambiental, na qual se associou à implementação de infraestruturas públicas a regularização fundiária e urbanística de interesse social. Os conflitos socioambientais que emergem nesse processo colocam em questão as concepções e a forma de expansão das redes de infraestrutura, o que extrapola a escala local, e evidenciam os descompassos que se estabelecem na realização da política habitacional e de saneamento. Nesse quadro, a fragmentação do espaço articula diferentes escalas de análise, explicitando os limites e as possibilidades, ainda que residuais, de uma apropriação socialmente justa do ambiente urbano. As transformações em curso na paisagem dos mananciais, engendradas pelo capitalismo periférico, nos permitem problematizar concepções hegemônicas acerca do novo paradigma ambiental, à luz da reflexão crítica da relação sociedade-natureza. A pesquisa visa, então, contribuir para o debate da \"questão ambiental urbana\". / The present work focuses on the process of occupation of water source areas in the south of the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, addressing the conflicts related to the production of infrastructure during the constitution and consolidation of precarious settlements that expanded in the 1990\'s, in São Bernardo do Campo, in the Billings Basin - an area that has been protected by environmental laws since the 1970\'s. From the self-provision of infrastructure, passing through the demand of public networks on behalf of the dwellers, reaching the implementation of urbanization projects, we address the articulations between public and private agents, their spatial practices, as well as the laws and policies regarding water source areas, whose relations mediated by the specificity of the private property, engendered, directly or indirectly, the urban shape of irregular settlements. And, secondly, also created the need for environmental recovery, associating the implementation of public infrastructure with land and urban regulation of social interests. The socio-environmental conflicts that emerged during this process challenged the conceptions and the way infrastructure networks expanded, which extrapolates the local scale, and pointed out the unsteadiness that was established when executing housing and sanitation policies. In this panorama, the fragmentation of the space articulates in the different scales of analysis, making explicit the limits and possibilities, although residual, of a collective and socially fair appropriation of the urban environment. The changes that are taking place in the landscape of water source areas enable us to problematize hegemonic conceptions concerning the new environmental paradigm, based on a critical reflection between society and nature. This study aims at contributing to the debate about the urban \"environmental issue\".

O presente trabalho adota a visão de projeto como pesquisa e desenvolve estudos de projeto para as infraestruturas urbanas fluviais da bacia hidrográfica do rio Tamanduateí, tendo como ponto de partida a ideia de recuperação da navegação nos principais rios desta bacia, presente na pesquisa de Delijaicov (1998; 2005) e nos estudos para o Hidroanel Metropolitano de São Paulo (GMF, 2011). O canal Billings-Tamanduateí cruzaria o centro da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo através dos rios Tamanduateí, Meninos e Couros e do canal de ligação com o braço Alvarenga da represa Billings, permitindo o aumento significativo da área de influência do sistema hidroviário e possibilitando a conexão com a Plataforma Logística Urbana Vila Carioca, que integra o novo sistema logístico de cargas previsto para a Macrometrópole Paulista. As eclusas e barragens móveis necessárias à navegação possibilitariam o controle das vazões e a eventual reversão das águas para a Billings, contribuindo para a macrodrenagem da bacia. Os canais e lagos navegáveis seriam eixos de infraestrutura a partir dos quais os bairros das planícies fluviais seriam reconstruídos, sendo apresentado o projeto dos Bairros Fluviais do Tamanduateí, que ocupariam o antigo parque industrial do bairro da Mooca. A partir de uma gestão integrada das águas urbanas essa infraestrutura se ramificaria pelos afluentes menores, e, na escala das microbacias hidrográficas, seriam aplicadas medidas de retenção dos escoamentos na fonte e de preservação da qualidade das águas, através de parques fluviais e microestações de tratamento, sendo desenvolvido como estudo de caso o projeto de reforma urbana para a sub-bacia do córrego Moinho Velho, afluente do Tamanduateí. Como bases para a ação projetual, a pesquisa apresenta o histórico dos projetos para as bacias hidrográficas do Alto Tietê e do Tamanduateí; discorre sobre instrumentos da legislação que representam avanços para a gestão integrada das águas urbanas; e apresenta conceitos e referências que amparam a ideia da cidade fluvial, onde os rios seriam os principais logradouros públicos, propiciando significativa melhoria na qualidade ambiental urbana. Esta pesquisa se alinha aos interesses do Grupo Metrópole Fluvial (GMF), pertencente ao Laboratório de Projeto do Departamento de Projeto (LabProj) da Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade de São Paulo (FAU USP). / The present work adopts the vision of design as research and develops design studies for the fluvial urban infrastructures of the Tamanduatei River basin, having, as a starting point, the idea of restoring navigation in the basin\'s main rivers, present in Delijaicov\'s research (1998; 2005) and in the studies for the Metropolitan Waterway Ring of Sao Paulo (GMF, 2011). The Billings- Tamanduatei canal would cross the center of the Metropolitan Region of Sao Paulo through the rivers Tamanduatei, Meninos and Couros, and the artificial canal with the Alvarenga branch of the Billings Reservoir, allowing a significant increase in the area of influence of the waterways system and the connection to the Vila Carioca Urban Logistics Platform, which integrates the new cargo logistics system for the Paulista Macrometropolis. The locks and barrages necessary for navigation would permit to control the flow rate and an eventual reversion of water to Billings, contributing to the basin\'s drainage. The canals and navigable lakes would be the infrastructural axis from where the fluvial plains\' neighborhoods would be redeveloped, therefore the project for the Tamanduatei Fluvial Neighborhoods is then presented, which would occupy the old industrial site in Mooca neighborhood. From an integrated urban waters management, this infrastructure would spread to the smaller tributaries and, at the micro basin\'s scale, retention of flow at the source and water quality preservation measures would be applied, by installing treatment microstations and creating fluvial parks, having as a case study the project for urban reform for the Moinho Velho sub-basin, a tributary to Tamanduatei. As basis for design, the research brings the history of projects for the Alto Tiete River basin and the Tamanduatei basin; discourse about legislation that represents advancements for the integrated urban waters management; and presents concepts and references that support the idea of a fluvial city, where rivers are the main public place, propitiating significant improvements in the quality of the urban environment. This research aligns with the interests of the Fluvial Metropolis Group (Grupo Metrópole Fluvial - GMF), which belongs to the Design Lab of the Design Department (Laboratório de Projeto do Departamento de Projeto - LabProj) of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Sao Paulo (FAU USP).

A presente tese focaliza o processo de ocupação dos mananciais do sul da metrópole de São Paulo, abordando um quadro de relações que se estabeleceu na formação e consolidação de loteamentos precários. Os loteamentos irregulares estudados foram construídos durante os anos 1990, em São Bernardo do Campo, na bacia da Billings - área ambientalmente protegida por lei desde os anos 1970. A análise abrange desde a autoprovisão de infraestruturas, passando pela reivindicação de redes públicas pelos moradores, até a realização de projetos de urbanização. Abordam-se as articulações entre agentes públicos e privados, suas práticas espaciais, bem como as leis e as políticas de mananciais que, perpassadas pela especificidade da propriedade privada, engendraram, direta ou indiretamente, a forma urbana dos loteamentos irregulares. Esse quadro de agentes, num outro contexto, também construiu a necessidade da recuperação ambiental, na qual se associou à implementação de infraestruturas públicas a regularização fundiária e urbanística de interesse social. Os conflitos socioambientais que emergem nesse processo colocam em questão as concepções e a forma de expansão das redes de infraestrutura, o que extrapola a escala local, e evidenciam os descompassos que se estabelecem na realização da política habitacional e de saneamento. Nesse quadro, a fragmentação do espaço articula diferentes escalas de análise, explicitando os limites e as possibilidades, ainda que residuais, de uma apropriação socialmente justa do ambiente urbano. As transformações em curso na paisagem dos mananciais, engendradas pelo capitalismo periférico, nos permitem problematizar concepções hegemônicas acerca do novo paradigma ambiental, à luz da reflexão crítica da relação sociedade-natureza. A pesquisa visa, então, contribuir para o debate da \"questão ambiental urbana\". / The present work focuses on the process of occupation of water source areas in the south of the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, addressing the conflicts related to the production of infrastructure during the constitution and consolidation of precarious settlements that expanded in the 1990\'s, in São Bernardo do Campo, in the Billings Basin - an area that has been protected by environmental laws since the 1970\'s. From the self-provision of infrastructure, passing through the demand of public networks on behalf of the dwellers, reaching the implementation of urbanization projects, we address the articulations between public and private agents, their spatial practices, as well as the laws and policies regarding water source areas, whose relations mediated by the specificity of the private property, engendered, directly or indirectly, the urban shape of irregular settlements. And, secondly, also created the need for environmental recovery, associating the implementation of public infrastructure with land and urban regulation of social interests. The socio-environmental conflicts that emerged during this process challenged the conceptions and the way infrastructure networks expanded, which extrapolates the local scale, and pointed out the unsteadiness that was established when executing housing and sanitation policies. In this panorama, the fragmentation of the space articulates in the different scales of analysis, making explicit the limits and possibilities, although residual, of a collective and socially fair appropriation of the urban environment. The changes that are taking place in the landscape of water source areas enable us to problematize hegemonic conceptions concerning the new environmental paradigm, based on a critical reflection between society and nature. This study aims at contributing to the debate about the urban \"environmental issue\".