Urban Growth Boundaries in Urban Development: A Holistic Review of Literature From 2011 to 2025

ABSTRACT The urban growth boundary (UGB) has been recognized as an effective policy instrument for controlling disorderly urban sprawl and improving the sustainability of urban development. However, summary studies in this domain are insufficient. Hence, this study conducted a holistic review of UGB based on 228 literature samples published between 2011 and 2025 to help resolve this academic gap. This work has four objectives: (1) to analyze principal journal sources, countries, authors, organizations, articles, and keywords in the literature on UGB using bibliometrics and science mapping methods; (2) to summarize current research topics relevant to UGB; (3) to discuss existing research gaps in UGB; and (4) to explore future research directions in UGB.