Sustainable development goals in the construction industry: science mapping of present and future trends

Purpose Despite increasing attention to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the construction industry remains fragmented in its alignment with global sustainability targets. Existing works are dispersed across disciplines, limiting a clear understanding of dominant research themes and emerging directions. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the knowledge structure and identify future research trends of the SDGs within the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach A bibliometric science mapping analysis was conducted on 1,026 peer-reviewed journal articles published in English and indexed in the web of science (WoS) core collection. Citation analysis, co-citation analysis, and co-word analysis were performed to examine the intellectual structure and future research trends. Findings The citation analysis revealed five themes, the co-citation analysis identified six clusters and the co-word analysis produced six clusters. Additionally, five key themes were identified regarding the knowledge structure of the SDGs within the construction industry: sustainable construction practices, environmental policy and governance, sustainable urban and regional development, innovative technologies for sustainable construction and carbon efficiency in construction. Originality/value This study is original in offering a structured overview of how SDG research has evolved in construction and highlighting future areas that require further investigation.