GEO-SAN – Geography of urban infrastructure transformation – understanding the global diffusion of innovation in the sanitation sector

Urban infrastructure systems face transformation pressure due to climate change and rapid urbanization. They are often characterized by a strikingly narrow set of technological, organizational and institutional set-ups, despite fundamental differences when it comes to material and institutional preconditions. Conventional solutions are inherently ill equipped to meet contemporary and emerging challenges. There is thus a need to study transformation dynamics in urban infrastructure sectors. The project draws on transition studies, economic geography and neo-institutional theory, to advance a configurational perspective to analyze the modes and mechanisms of diffusion of sustainable infrastructure solutions; identify place-specific factors that influence these processes; and assess factors that influence the replicability of different configurations. The empirical focus is on the institutionalization and spatial diffusion of two emerging configurations underpinned by a shift to de-centralized sanitation infrastructure. The project traces and compares (de-)contextualization- and spatial diffusion processes using a combination of STCA and qualitative case studies

Project period: 2024-2028
Funded by: Formas – Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development