ABSTRACT
In urban and densely populated areas, centralized solutions for water management are usually favored over small scale solutions based on principles of economy of scale and economy of density [1–3]. In this traditional approach, water, wastewater and solid waste are often transported over large distances. These centralized water supply, sanitation and solid waste solutions often struggle to keep up with rapid expansion of large cities in the South, such as Mexico City, not only due to unregulated and uncontrolled urbanization, but also due to high construction costs [4]. Indeed, it is in these peri-urban areas that there is a trend towards providing water supply, sanitation and solid waste management technologies on a decentralized, 202on-site scale [4–8]. However, stakeholders may prefer centralized solutions because of the convenience of a centralized system.
