Nurturing healthy and resilient communities: An in-depth bibliometric analysis of walkability within the built environment

Introduction: Walkability is crucial for sustainable development and promotes environmental, economic, and health benefits. Based on the importance of walkability in the built environment (WBE) during the sustainability era, this study offers a critical review of WBE using a bibliometric approach to showcase the following: a) progress and main areas, b) research gaps and trends, and c) the proposal of a comprehensive framework for future studies. Method: To better understand the WBE, 2150 documents covering 2000 to November 1, 2024, were extracted from the Scopus database. VOSviewer and the Bibliometrix package in the R statistical programming language were used to analyze and visualize the data. In addition, desk studies and gray literature, including movements, conferences, reports, and concepts, were investigated. Results: The document publication process and results of co-occurrence and factorial analyses revealed that the concept of WBE evolved over four periods. The main areas of evolution include social aspects, health, and the built environment, all of which improved in each period. Economics and technology were integrated into the other areas during the final period. This provides a comprehensive framework for a better understanding of the WBE concept. Additionally, the strong correlation (r = 0.99, p < 0.05) between the number of citations and annual publications underscores the significance of WBE studies in the scientific community. Nevertheless, developing countries account for only 10% of scientific studies in this field. Conclusion: These findings and emerging trends can offer valuable insights to urban planners, designers, managers, and researchers from diverse disciplines to enhance the WBE, particularly in developing countries.