From retail decline to sustainable urban transformation: a bibliometric review of shopping mall research

Introduction Shopping malls have become significant components of contemporary urban development; however, structural transformations in retail systems, consumer behavior, and urban economies have increasingly challenged the sustainability of conventional mall typologies. In recent years, retail decline and the adaptive reuse of shopping malls have emerged as important topics within discussions on urban transformation, spatial restructuring, and sustainable urban development. Despite the growing body of research on shopping mall decline and redevelopment, the intellectual evolution of this field remains insufficiently explored. This study examines how shopping mall research has evolved in response to changing urban, economic, and spatial conditions. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 framework using publications retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. A total of 69 relevant publications were analyzed using citation analysis, author co-citation analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis, and overlay visualization techniques. Results The findings reveal a significant transformation in shopping mall research from retail-oriented perspectives toward themes associated with retail decline, adaptive reuse, spatial transformation, urban regeneration, and sustainable urban development. The study identifies a three-phase conceptual trajectory consisting of retail-oriented development, decline and crisis, and adaptive reuse and spatial transformation, illustrating a broader paradigm shift in how shopping malls are understood within contemporary urban systems. The findings further suggest that shopping mall decline should not be interpreted solely as an economic or retail-related issue, but also as a broader socio-spatial process shaped by changing consumption patterns, e-commerce, and evolving urban development models. Discussion The study contributes to urban studies and planning literature by providing a systematic interpretation of the intellectual evolution of shopping mall research and demonstrating how retail decline has increasingly been reframed within broader discussions of adaptive reuse, urban regeneration, and sustainable urban transformation. The findings also highlight the growing importance of adaptive reuse, mixed-use redevelopment, and urban resilience in supporting the long-term regeneration of aging retail environments.