Pandemics and the Built Environment: A Bibliometric Mapping of Current Knowledge and Future Directions for Environmental Design Research

The performance of healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that healthcare environments can support or hinder critical aspects of pandemic response, such as infection control, surge capacity, workforce safety, and continuity of care. This study maps the scholarly landscape at the intersection of pandemics, healthcare, and the built environment to clarify how built environment-related concepts are positioned within pandemic-related healthcare research. A total of 5061 records were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and analyzed using VOSviewer (1.6.20). Author keyword co-occurrence analysis was used to examine thematic patterns. The keyword network identified eight major thematic clusters, with subclusters addressing infection control, pandemics and public health, telemedicine and remote care, data technologies and digital infrastructure, healthcare leadership, care quality and safety, healthcare education, occupational stress and resilience, psychological distress, older adult care, pediatric care, health disparities, workplace safety, and waste management. Overall, the findings show that built environment considerations were present across multiple thematic areas but often appeared indirectly within broader clinical, operational, public health, and environmental discussions. Based on these findings, this study discusses future directions for environmental design research, including systems-based approaches, pandemic-readiness assessment, healthcare worker wellbeing and safety, continuity of care, and more explicit integration of design knowledge into pandemic preparedness, response, and recovery.