Politics of incomplete infrastructures: Wastewater treatment and sludge processing in a circular economy

Urban wastewater treatment is a critical infrastructure. Pollution prevention and safe sanitation are necessary for well-functioning cities and societies. However, even in the Global North, these functions are only partially delivered. If building of a circular society is the goal, wastewater infrastructures must be transformed supportive of sustainable resource recovery. The project analyses how incompleteness of the infrastructures is made an urgent issue in Finland; and how cities and companies respond to the pressures. Focusing on experimentation, policymaking and infrastructure development, the project shows how the incompleteness of the infrastructures places cities and societies on critical tests; what the encounters reveal about policies and politics at different governance levels; and how, based on the lessons learned and transition pathways co-created with experts and stakeholders, governance could be strengthened to generate transitional capacities.