Next month will mark the third anniversary of the installation of Calgary’s first 24-hour public toilet in Tomkins Park on 17th Avenue S.W. Since 2008, there have been approximately 120,000 flushes, which averages about 110 daily uses. And last November, two new 24-hour stainless steel toilets opened along the RiverWalk in East Village. Bravo!

Manufactured by the Exeloo East company in Atlanta, the toilets are secure, self-cleaning units known as automated public toilets. An entry button opens the automatic door and another inside closes and locks it. After using the facility and washing up with automated soap and water dispensers and an air dryer, the door reopens. The fixtures are typically made of stainless steel and are engineered to be vandal-proof. Many Exeloos are equipped with diaper-change stations.

After every use the toilet goes through an automatic cleaning cycle, which sanitizes the fixtures and prepares the unit for the next customer. Newer models use computer diagnostics to analyze usage and identify problems. To avoid loitering, visits to these automated wonders are restricted to 10 minutes. After that (with an appropriate warning) the doors open automatically. Many of these facilities have safe disposal units for used syringes.

The total cost of the Tompkins Park toilet was $469,000, which includes the unit, site preparation and upgrades to winterize it. Cost savings from larger orders or by sharing with other municipalities means future installations could be as little as half that amount. Annual operating costs come in at $40,000 including $400 per month for utilities.

Despite the success of the Tomkins Park pilot program — including positive feedback from users, nearby businesses and surrounding communities — the two new loos seem associated more with east-end revitalization than with the development of a city-wide public toilet strategy. Which brings us to the point: There is no citywide public toilet strategy — but there should be.

A 2008 city planning report provided the necessary background to establish a public toilet initiative, but it has not yet been acted upon. With the city’s main trouble spot in the East Village now being dealt with, tight municipal budgets may keep this issue low on the priority list.

As with many elements of public infrastructure, Calgary lags behind many European, Asian and Australian cities in public toilet policy. According to the city report, Calgary has 46 public toilets in the core, but many are located in private establishments and lack true access. Only six, including the three new APTs, are open for 24 hours. The other three, in the Drop-In & Rehab Centre, the Salvation Army Centre and the Sheldon Chumir Centre, are open, however, they have controlled access and patrons must ask for a key.

In contrast, Zurich, Switzerland, a city approximately the same size as Calgary, has 93 public toilets including 10 automated toilets — four with attendants. Melbourne, Australia, which already boasts an extensive network of public toilets, has an operational plan for 15 new APTs by 2013. Adelaide, Australia, another city about the size of Calgary, has more than 20 24-hour public toilets.

With these facilities being expensive, one should ask: What do we get for our money? Beyond human health and dignity issues — which are compelling reasons on their own — public toilets are a long-term investment that help shape sustainable communities because they make the public realm, with all its benefits and opportunities, more accessible. In the long term, the payoff is a healthier, more inclusive city.

For example, Health Canada cites research showing that about one in six Canadian seniors experience bladder-control difficulties. So, as boomers begin reaching retirement age en masse, many more will experience these difficulties. Further, with new attention on “aging-in-place” — a community development strategy enabling seniors to remain in their communities longer — it seems logical that public facilities would be a natural element of their design.

The truth is, public toilets benefit all of us — the mom with an unforeseen emergency, the solitary runner, the tourist or the poor sot who had too many hot chili peppers in his burrito.

Our vision for a sustainable future affords every citizen an equal opportunity to share in the benefits of the city. Bathroom issues keep many Calgarians from participating in city life as fully as they might choose, whether it be a walk in the park or taking transit to work.

So, if we decide that public toilets are essential for a humane public realm, then the next step is to decide how to go about making the vision a reality. Without a concrete plan, any future provision of public toilets will be a hit-and-miss proposition. Sustainability is about the opportunity for each individual to flourish. Public toilets alone do not make communities more sustainable but communities without them are decidedly less civil.

Next article: Home Suite Home: secondary suites and social resilience

Geoff Ghitter teaches urban studies at the University of Calgary. geeessgee.blogspot.com. Noel Keough is an assistant professor in the faculty of environmental design at the university, and is co-founder of Sustainable Calgary Society. nkeough@ucalgary.ca.