Mapping 25 Years of Urban Morphology Research: Co-Citation Analysis

Year 2025, Volume: 22 Issue: 3, 518 - 531, 31.05.2025

Seda Sakar , Kandemir Atçeken

https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1681989

Abstract

Urban morphology, as a discipline, focuses on analyzing the structural components of urban space and how these components come together, often in response to user needs. This study aims to identify the scientific trends and thematic trajectories in urban morphology by analyzing 1073 publications indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) database between 2000 and 2025. Co-citation analysis, one of the bibliometric techniques, was conducted using the CiteSpace software. This method allows for the identification of thematic clusters within the urban morphology literature, the key publications representing these clusters, and the temporal relationships among them. The analysis reveals that the literature is shaped around six main thematic clusters: "urban form evolution," "diachronic analysis," "cities," "urban sprawl," "informal settlements," and "walkable cities". These clusters indicate a shift in the field from static analyses focused solely on physical form toward multidimensional, data-driven, and socially engaged research agendas. Temporal analysis further reveals that inter-cluster interaction has significantly increased, particularly after 2019. This study maps the thematic and temporal evolution of urban morphology between 2000 and 2025, offering insights into the field’s development and its emerging interdisciplinary connections.

Keywords

Urbanization, Urban Morphology, Bibliometric Analysis, Co-citation Analysis, CiteSpace

Kentsel Morfoloji Araştırmalarının 25 Yıllık Haritası (2000–2025): Web of Science Verilerine Dayalı Bibliyometrik ve Ortak Atıf Analizi

Abstract

Kullanıcı ihtiyaçlarına göre biçimlenen kentsel mekânın yapısal ögelerini ve bu ögelerin bir araya geliş biçimlerini çözümlemek, kentsel morfoloji disiplininin temel araştırma alanını oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışma, 2000–2025 yılları arasında Web of Science (WoS) veri tabanında yayımlanmış kentsel morfoloji konulu 1073 araştırmayı inceleyerek, alandaki bilimsel eğilimleri ve tematik yönelimleri ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Bibliyometrik analiz tekniklerinden biri olan ortak atıf (co-citation) analizi, CiteSpace yazılımı kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışma, kentsel morfoloji literatüründeki tematik kümeleri, bu kümeleri temsil eden temel yayınları ve kümeler arasındaki zamansal ilişkileri belirlemeye olanak tanımaktadır. Analiz sonucunda, literatürün 6 ana tematik küme etrafında şekillendiği belirlenmiştir. “Kentsel formun evrimi”, “tarihsel süreç analizleri”, “kentler”, “kentsel yayılma”, “enformel yerleşimler” ve “yürünebilir kentler” başlıkları, bu alanın güncel araştırma yönelimlerini yansıtan temel temalar olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Bu kümeler, alanın yalnızca fiziksel biçimlere odaklanan durağan analizlerden, çok boyutlu, veri temelli ve toplumsal etkileşime açık araştırma gündemlerine doğru geçiş yaptığını göstermektedir. Zamansal analiz, özellikle 2019 sonrası dönemde temalar arası etkileşimin belirgin biçimde arttığını ortaya koymaktadır. Bu çalışma, kentsel morfolojinin 2000 ile 2025 yılları arasındaki tematik ve zamansal evrimini haritalandırarak, alanın gelişimi ve ortaya çıkan disiplinler arası bağlantıları hakkında içgörüler sunmaktadır

Keywords

Kentleşme, Kentsel morfoloji, Bibliyometrik Analiz, Ortak Atıf Analizi, Citespace

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