Global trends on walkability research in the global south between 1998 and 2023: a SLR

This study intends to look into how walkability research has evolved over the past 25 years in the global south (1998–2023) on the several main core research ideas: research’s aim, gap, and research problem that underlies walkability problems, the research setting, the method, and their contributions. A systematic literature review is conducted by using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The analysis concludes that the underlying basis of walkability research in this setting is people, the built environment, and walking behaviour. Most research is conducted in Asia within a city scale, including China, Iran, and India. It is discovered that the majority of research uses a measurement-based strategy. Meanwhile, data about the physical aspects of walkability are gathered using a map-based approach and a questionnaire to ascertain peoples’ perceptions, which then is analysed using statistical modelling analysis and spatial mapping/modelling analysis. This research is a pioneering effort that explores walkability studies and sheds light on a robust framework with a holistic understanding of walkability in the global south that could help scholars, researchers, urban planners, architects, engineers, and legislators keep up with the swift publishing of scientific works, and support future development trends as well as research directions within this topic.