In the world’s richest nation, the share of households living without access to clean running water is growing — and urban areas are at the center of the crisis. That marks a significant change from decades ago, when “plumbing poverty,” as researchers call it, was endemic to rural America.

The rise of housing unaffordability and living costs began shifting the issue to cities in the 1990s. Today, nearly three-quarters of households lacking running water live in metropolitan areas, with wealthy places like Portland, Oregon; Houston and Phoenix seeing some of the largest surges in recent years. Utility shut-offs due to nonpayment or improper maintenance by landlords are the main factors behind the problem, Laura Bliss and Klara Auerbach report. Today in Businessweek: Why Access to Running Water Is a Luxury in Wealthy US Cities

— Linda Poon

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