Socio-technical regimes are highly institutionalized rationalities that have co-evolved with actors, technologies and institutions over extended periods of time and become taken for granted across geographical contexts. Transition studies feature an extensive focus on regime dynamics within specific territorial contexts. However, we know surprisingly little of how regime rationalities are constructed, diffused and reproduced across space. This is a key gap in the geography of sustainability transitions literature. This paper introduces a conceptual model to analyze transformative opportunities in regions and how regime actors strategically diffuse and implement global regime solutions through combinations of discursive and substantive system reconfiguration activities. The empirical analysis draws upon a combination of Socio-Technical Configuration Analysis (STCA) of 354 newspaper articles and 10 in-depth expert interviews to illuminate how regime actors prevailed in diffusing and legitimizing the water sector's dominant socio-technical configuration in San Diego during a period of substantial transformative opportunities.

社会技术制度是高度制度化的理性，在很长一段时间内与行为者、技术和制度共同发展，并在地理环境中被认为是理所当然的。过渡研究的特点是广泛关注特定领土背景下的政权动态。然而，令人惊讶的是，我们对政权理性如何在空间中构建、传播和复制知之甚少。这是可持续性转型文献地理中的一个关键空白。本文介绍了一个概念模型来分析地区的变革机会，以及政权行为者如何通过话语和实质性系统重构活动的组合战略性地传播和实施全球政权解决方案。