Mapping the Research Landscape of Smart Community Governance: A Bibliometric Literature Analysis

Traditional community governance has been challenged by problems such as the mismatch of needs and insufficient public participation, which has led to the emergence of urban smart communities. Urban smart communities, as the core unit of smart city construction, are characterized by a large population, high density, and high mobility. This study systematically screened 100 articles on smart community governance published during 2014–2024 from the Web of Science database. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were used to conduct a bibliometric and visualization analysis exploring the research hotspots. In combination, the systematic literature review and bibliometrics shed light on four main themes: the application of smart technologies, the forms of public participation, the factors of sustainability, and the impact of community resilience. Identifying the formation, development, and evolution of smart community governance increases the understanding of scholars, suggests future research directions, and provides governance pathways for managers as well as more inclusive policies for policymakers.