Indonesia drastically lags behind other countries in Southeast Asia and at similar levels of development in supplying urban wastewater sanitation. We use case studies from three cities in Indonesia to better understand why wastewater services are underprovided. We find strong demand-side constraints that interact with supply-side decision making. After comparing the urban wastewater sector in Indonesia to the health, education, and rural wastewater sectors in the country and to the urban wastewater sector in other Southeast Asian countries, we conclude by arguing for an increase in educational programs that will foment citizen demands on the government. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.