Retail Landscape and Urban Form: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Retail areas significantly influence the social, economic, and environmental dynamics of cities. The systematic review of 84 articles demonstrates how urban form shapes the spatiality of retailing across social, spatial, ecological and political dimensions. By synthesizing research scopes, theories, methods and scales, the findings show how diverse dimensions of retailing are increasingly integrated through shared analytical perspective and overlapping agendas. The study argues that urban form acts not only as a structural basis but also as a connective thread, linking spatial characteristics of retail landscape to governance strategies, consumer behavior, cultural diversity, resilience, environmental outcomes, and social inclusion.