Hundreds of millions of urban residents in the developing world lack clean water supplies and adequate sanitation facilities—both of which put people’s health at risk and hamper economic productivity and growth. Because of insufficient and ineffective utilities in many cities and towns, the urban poor often must line up for hours to get water from public taps or purchase water from vendors at high prices. Because of poor sanitation, people are vulnerable to outbreaks of cholera and other diseases.

U.S. cities offer a great many models for provision of sound water supply and sanitation services, and CityLinks facilitates partnerships between professionals from these cities and their counterparts who are seeking solutions for cities in developing countries.