An Analysis of Sustainable Urbanism in Europe: Unveiling Trends and Key Contributors

Also referred to as green cities or eco-cities, sustainable urban centres have arisen from the imperative to harmonise economic, ecological, and social agendas, aimed at fostering resilient environments for the benefit of both present and future generations. This global interest in transitioning cities and communities towards sustainability is exemplified by the 11th Sustainable Development Goal, which encompasses objectives such as ensuring safe housing and infrastructure, enhancing air quality, managing waste efficiently, and bolstering disaster resilience. The main objective of this article was to identify publications investigating the issue of sustainable cities in Europe in order to observe research trends on this topic. This study conducts a bibliometric analysis encompassing all published literature within the Web of Science database pertaining to this subject. The earliest documented studies trace back to 1994, with a marked escalation in scholarly interest observed from 2016 onwards. Employing the Biblioshiny package in R, 245 articles were identified wherein both the terms “sustainable cities” and “Europe” appeared in the titles, abstracts, or keywords. Key recurring themes identified in the authors' discourse on sustainable urbanism include sustainable development, urban planning, smart cities, urban sustainability, climate change, urban development, and energy efficiency. Additionally, this analysis identifies noteworthy sources, prolific authors, and highly cited papers, thus shedding light on prevailing research trends within this domain. Among the topics researched by the most cited articles is the reduction of energy consumption, since 80% of energy consumption is generated by cities and their supply chains. Among the solutions provided by them is the integration of local stakeholders in the decision-making process regarding long-term sustainability.