Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis

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

Volume: 22 Number: 3 May 31, 2025
TR EN

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

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

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APA
Sakar, S., & Atçeken, K. (2025). Mapping 25 Years of Urban Morphology Research: Co-Citation Analysis. OPUS Journal of Society Research, 22(3), 518-531. https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1681989