Transportation justice for sustainable cities: An equity review of EV charging infrastructure in China

• Systematic review of transportation justice in China's EV charging landscape. • Reveals significant injustice, infrastructure clusters in affluent urban cores. • Urban built environment non-linearly determines charging access and equity. • Subsidy policies often benefit wealthier groups, undermining equity goals. • Proposes policy framework to embed justice into sustainable urban planning. Achieving sustainable cities and transportation justice in China hinges on the equitable distribution of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Synthesizing 19 studies, this systematic review assesses the state of charging equity across five critical dimensions, from spatial distribution and accessibility to subsidy fairness and the influence of the urban built environment. The findings reveal a landscape of significant injustice: infrastructure is heavily concentrated in affluent urban cores, marginalizing suburban and rural populations. This spatial mismatch is compounded by subsidy policies that disproportionately benefit wealthier groups, undermining both equity and efficiency. Furthermore, the urban built environment non-linearly impacts access, presenting complex challenges for integrated planning. These inequities present a critical barrier to sustainable mobility. This review argues that embedding transportation justice into policy—through targeted infrastructure deployment, subsidy reform, and integrated urban planning—is essential for China to achieve an inclusive, low-carbon urban future.