ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on domestic water demand, as this is the most significant element of water consumption in most cities and is therefore of greatest significance in achieving urban sustainability. It describes methods for forecasting water demand, including the key factors that shape demand in the Global North. The chapter presents different approaches to reducing demand, along a continuum from technical water efficiency to understanding the meaning of water in everyday life. It considers water demand from the perspective of sustainable development, ecological modernisation, socio-technical systems, political ecology and radical ecology. Radical ecology, in emphasising the role of water as a connector between people, cities and landscapes, and in promoting an ethic of care for local places, supports dramatic changes in lifestyles, technologies and systems. The chapter discusses the role of water demand in sustainable cities. Water demand is shaped by a range of technical, economic, demographic, social and cultural factors.
