Sustainable Transportation in China: Review from 2014 to 2023

With the acceleration of urbanization, how to promote sustainable transportation and achieve economic, environmental, and social benefits has become a focal point for researchers and policymakers. This study presents a systematic scoping review of sustainable transportation research in China from 2014 to 2023, guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework. We analyzed 904 articles from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Web of Science databases bibliometrically and conducted an in-depth systematic review of 55 core publications after assessing their methodological quality with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Our analysis reveals eight dominant research themes: travel behavior, supply chain and logistics management, environmental impacts, sustainable transportation system planning, electric vehicles, shared mobility and public transportation, low-carbon transportation strategies and policies, and green transportation level assessment. Beyond these themes, this review critically identifies five persistent research gaps: climate adaptability, transportation system resilience, the application of Mobility as a Service, social sustainability and equity, and multi-departmental collaboration. The findings not only map the knowledge landscape but also highlight a systemic over-reliance on technological solutions, underscoring the need for more interdisciplinary and policy-implementation-focused research. This study provides a comprehensive baseline and future directions for researchers and policymakers, contributing to the global knowledge system on sustainable transportation.