A public toilet is a facility provided by the state to its citizens to ensure adequate

access to clean, safe facilities for public at large and to enhance the quality of urban
scapes. It functions as an important form of urban infrastructure since it contributes
value to the city scapes not only as a utility but also as an amenity
When we visualise a public toilet, do we imagine a universally accessible, fully
functional, well lit, thoroughly sanitised and an undiluted soap dispenser generously
filled to the brim?
It’s no surprise that this particular sector of public facilities is gravely neglected in
terms of design and infrastructure. A public toilet although inclusive has reduced to
an unnecessary road block. in order to understand the significance of these spaces,
we need to employ a team of active participants who thoroughly understand,
research and collect data based on user feedback.

Methods such as Data collection of what the public wants, Interviews, Surveys, File
Reviews and structured observation should be used to increase public input as they
are the real stakeholders.
Following are examples of some popular research techniques: -
 Delphi, where a systematic and qualitative method of forecasting by collecting
opinions from a group of experts through several rounds of questions. The
Delphi method relies on experts who are knowledgeable about a certain topic
so they can forecast the outcome of future scenarios, predict the likelihood of
an event, or reach consensus about a particular topic.
 Focus group, where a research technique is used to collect data through
group interaction. The group comprises a small number of carefully selected
people who discuss a given topic. Focus groups are used to identify and
explore how people think and behave.
 Charette, where there is an approach to participatory planning in which a
multidisciplinary team is put together, typically made up of planners, residents,
city officials, architects, landscape architects, transportation engineers, parks
and recreation officials, and other stakeholders, to develop a design and
implementation plan for a particular project.
These methods provide a better understanding of the needs and requirements of the
local people as well as the community as a whole.
Such methods will not only improve the perception of users towards a public toilet,
but also improve the quality of construction and infrastructure.
By approaching these techniques, we can increase peoples’ willingness to use the
toilets since it is regarded as a ‘good facility’ not the ‘only facility’.
When it comes to implementation, let us start by asking ourselves a set of very
relevant yet disregarded questions?
Can we expect a differently abled person to utilise a regular public toilet?
Do we have a specified area for the third gender?
Does a public toilet cater to all age groups?
Do women feel safe within the boundaries of these toilets?
And the most pertinent of all, does hygiene play an important role in maintaining
these spaces?
Are we providing public toilet facilities that are all inclusive?
We need to realise that a decently sanitised, functional restroom addressing to
different sets of people is not unachievable. A very good example for this plausible
definition of public toilet is a local airport.
One would describe these restrooms as well- equipped, fully furnished designed for
comfortable and safe experience. Apart from these basic factors, they have been
able to successfully achieve a comprehensive array for all travellers.
Nevertheless, these facilities are only accessible to a group of people based on their
economic status. The persons who cannot afford to travel by airways are
unfortunately barred from experiencing these basic provisions.
Clearly, we have started to regard the basic functioning and requirements of public
toilet as a luxury rather than a necessity.
The comparison between these two extreme scenarios has created a daunting
canyon between people belonging to a different economic status, abilities, age
groups and genders. If asked to describe a basic toilet, these persons will have
extremely contrasting, unfamiliar and irreconcilable set of answers.
In order to defy these barriers, we must shed light upon the fundamental, mandatory
and most importantly, preferred ideas of a restroom.
Public toilets carry great potential in order to establish a progressive outlook towards
the city’s hygiene and perception of maintenance.
Other than this, we tend to overlook the factors that help maintain these facilities
“labour”.
Unfortunately, the staff responsible for the cleanliness of toilets are exposed to a
futile discrimation in terms of respect and opportunities. When we start to focus on
uplifting the staff itself, it will be easier to achieve our goals towards a progressive
mindset.
Providing a dedicated area for the staff encourages their participation in the process
and increases their earnestness towards work ethic.
This will also help to neutralise the barrier between the user and cleaner.
Providing a performance review will help upgrade the quality of work and implement
a sense of trust in the users towards the facility. Seven airports around the country,
including Los Angeles International Airport, have invested in a new software system
called TRAX SMARTRESTROOM, which aims to keep bathrooms cleaner and helps
move the lines to use stalls more. The software also has a counting sensor at the
entrance of the restroom that tracks when passengers walk in and leave. Each
airport can pick how many people enter the restroom before an email alert is sent to
its custodial supervisor indicating that it’s time to clean the restroom, after 300
people. And, most importantly for passengers, they have the option to leave
feedback on their bathroom visit through a tablet at the exit of the bathroom. They
can choose one of three faces: "exceptional," "average" or "poor." If they pick
the sad face (poor), the tablet displays a series of six potential issues they
encountered. This feedback is instantly emailed to the custodial supervisor who can
dispatch an employee to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
The modern solution to a clean restroom would be a self-cleaning toilet, although
easier to install, it is more important to provide job opportunities that significantly
improve the economic state of low-income groups.
But how can we provide a stable exterior environment for the users? I beg to differ,
but a dingy street or a busy highway are not the most welcoming sites for users.
Perhaps, we can try to extend the boundaries of these facilities beyond the sewage
lines and robust tiling. What if the nearest tree was an extension to the toilet and
surrounded the neighbouring landscape within the boundaries of the toilet. Would
this not help us generate more footfall within the area and hence, avoid a sense of
insecurity while using the washrooms.
When we take this a step further, an inbuilt water treatment plant can lead to a more
sustainable built up and reduce energy consumption as well. The remaining
greywater can be strategically used to irrigate the neighbouring landscape. This
concept has been successfully designed in thane, Maharashtra. a sustainable toilet
project- Agasti, initiated by thane municipal corporation have successfully inculcated
the notion of bringing the context within the boundaries of the structure. this idea
focuses on reviving the surrounding area of the toilet by ushering in public activities
and spaces that initiate contact with immediate context. Here, the focus is a
voluptuous tree, that is used to not only integrate nature within the structure but also
to provide filtered light within while also a protection from rains. The tree surrounded
by a central garden is a metaphor to spaces where people can sit and relax under a
tree in shade and socialize. This type of planning has initiated a positive reflex of
locals towards this facility. This initiative has encouraged a cohesive dialogue
between people and buildings and sets a great example for planners and urban
designers to look into issues of planning cities as one cohesive plan than in bits and
parts.

As apposed to this, the situation in local terminals is rather dreadful. Most of all,
women usually resist the urge to use a public toilet during hormonal cycles. On
average women take twice as long to use the washroom as men. Factually, an
unhygienic toilet is the most common causes of urinary tract infections in women.
Apart from this, can we really blame women for not feeling welcome within these
nauseating, grim and obtrusively unsafe rooms to conduct their personal business?
Elucidating this scenario further, a case study conducted in the Andheri railway
station sufficiently describes the current issues faced by women while interacting
with public facilities. The station has four functioning toilets: two on platform 1, one
on platform 2, and one on platform 5. The first toilet on platform 1 is for men and
women with the urinals being free but the cubicles are paid for. The second toilet on
platform 1 is only for men with the urinals being free. The third toilet on platform 2 is
for men and women, however, the designated cubicle for women was locked and the
key was to be collected from a shoe polisher nearby. The fourth toilet on platform 5,
for both men and women, was functioning from 6 am to 10 pm and the key to the
women’s toilet was supposed to be collected from the men’s with the payment of a
small fee. To summarize, there is only one toilet a woman can use, and four that
men can use.