diff --git a/build.py b/build.py
index 0f94826b6..e6e35ad7e 100644
--- a/build.py
+++ b/build.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import glob
+import sysconfig
 import os
 from subprocess import Popen, PIPE
-from distutils import sysconfig
 
 Import('env')
 
@@ -14,11 +14,15 @@ def call(cmd, silent=True):
 
 
 prefix = env['PREFIX']
-target_path = os.path.normpath(sysconfig.get_python_lib() + os.path.sep + env['MAPNIK_NAME'])
+if "deb_system" in sysconfig.get_scheme_names():
+    python_modules_dir = sysconfig.get_path("purelib", "deb_system")
+else:
+    python_modules_dir = sysconfig.get_path("purelib")
+target_path = os.path.normpath(python_modules_dir + os.path.sep + env['MAPNIK_NAME'])
 
 py_env = env.Clone()
 
-py_env.Append(CPPPATH = sysconfig.get_python_inc())
+py_env.Append(CPPPATH = sysconfig.get_path('include'))
 
 py_env.Append(CPPDEFINES = env['LIBMAPNIK_DEFINES'])
 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 4b12c4c8a..49aa2ae11 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 import glob
 import pkg_resources
 
-from distutils import sysconfig
 from ctypes.util import find_library
 
 from setuptools import Command, Extension, setup
@@ -86,22 +85,6 @@ def run(self):
         print("\n".join(get_boost_library_names()))
 
 
-cflags = sysconfig.get_config_var('CFLAGS')
-sysconfig._config_vars['CFLAGS'] = re.sub(
-    ' +', ' ', cflags.replace('-g ', '').replace('-Os', '').replace('-arch i386', ''))
-opt = sysconfig.get_config_var('OPT')
-sysconfig._config_vars['OPT'] = re.sub(
-    ' +', ' ', opt.replace('-g ', '').replace('-Os', ''))
-ldshared = sysconfig.get_config_var('LDSHARED')
-sysconfig._config_vars['LDSHARED'] = re.sub(
-    ' +', ' ', ldshared.replace('-g ', '').replace('-Os', '').replace('-arch i386', ''))
-ldflags = sysconfig.get_config_var('LDFLAGS')
-sysconfig._config_vars['LDFLAGS'] = re.sub(
-    ' +', ' ', ldflags.replace('-g ', '').replace('-Os', '').replace('-arch i386', ''))
-pycflags = sysconfig.get_config_var('PY_CFLAGS')
-sysconfig._config_vars['PY_CFLAGS'] = re.sub(
-    ' +', ' ', pycflags.replace('-g ', '').replace('-Os', '').replace('-arch i386', ''))
-sysconfig._config_vars['CFLAGSFORSHARED'] = ''
 os.environ['ARCHFLAGS'] = ''
 
 if os.environ.get("MASON_BUILD", "false") == "true":