A scientometric review of global research on sustainability and sustainable development

Abstract

The concept of sustainable development has gained worldwide attention in recent years which had enhanced its implementation. However, few studies have attempted to map the global research of sustainability. This study utilizes scientometric review of global trend and structure of sustainability research in 1991-2016 using techniques such as co-author, coword, co-citation, clusters, and geospatial analyses. A total of 2094 bibliographic records from the Web of Science database were analyzed to generate the study's research power networks and geospatial map. The findings reveal an evolution of the research field from the definition of its concepts in the Brundtland Commission report to the recent development of models and sustainability indicators. The most significant contributions in sustainability research have originated primarily from the United States, China, United Kingdom and Canada. Also, existing studies in sustainability research focus mainly on subject categories of environmental sciences, green & sustainable science technology, civil engineering, and construction & building technology. Emerging trends in sustainability research were sustainable urban development, sustainability indicators, water management, environmental assessment, public policy, etc.; while the study generated 21 co-citation clusters. This study provides its readers with an extensive understanding of the salient research themes, trends and pattern of sustainability research worldwide.

Vegetation Restoration and Its Environmental Effects on the Loess Plateau

“…According to the latest policy, the state of the ecological forestry subsidy has been extended for 8 years on the basis of the original 8-year subsidy. The unilateral investment method has exerted pressure on regional sustainable development [1,58]. Implement of the compensation mechanism for ecological public welfare forests could be an approach to promote social and ecology sustainability.…”

Critical success factors for implementing building information modeling and sustainability practices in construction projects: A Delphi survey

“…Nevertheless, there has been some application of smart technologies and sustainability practices in some projects such as BIM for sustainable material decisions (Ahmadian, Rashidi, Akbarnezhad, & Waller, ), BIM for sustainable design (Wong & Fan, ), GIS‐based facility management (Kang & Hong, ), and BIM‐based energy analysis (Gourlis & Kovacic, ). A comprehensive review of the body of literature was examined by Olawumi and Chan ().…”

“…Nevertheless, there has been some application of smart technologies and sustainability practices in some projects such as BIM for sustainable material decisions (Ahmadian, Rashidi, Akbarnezhad, & Waller, 2017), BIM for sustainable design (Wong & Fan, 2013), GIS-based facility management (Kang & Hong, 2015), and BIM-based energy analysis (Gourlis & Kovacic, 2017). A comprehensive review of the body of literature was examined by Olawumi and Chan (2018a). Yusof, Zainul Abidin, Zailani, Govindan, and Iranmanesh (2016) examined the influence of project's stakeholders' behavior on the implementation of sustainability practices, which reveal a positive correlation between the firm's management practices in respect of energy efficiency and waste and the implementation of sustainability ideals during project execution.…”

The Evolution of Sustainable Development Theory: Types, Goals, and Research Prospects

“…SD has experienced the germination of ideas, and then a series of SD practices, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit. Many changes have taken place and SD has evolved from tackling environmental issues to deal with the global strategic issue [29]. Based on the study of the evolution of SD thoughts and the formation of SD theory by Lele [17], Mebratu [14], Zhang [30], and other scholars, this paper divided the evolution and development of SD theory into the embryonic period (before 1972), the molding period (1972)(1973)(1974)(1975)(1976)(1977)(1978)(1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987), and the developing period (since 1987) ( Figure 4).…”

“…Despite the great political achievements toward SD, many scientists found it difficult to conceptualize and measure SD [29,40]. In 1999, the National Research Council (NRC) published a report named "Our common journey: A transition toward sustainability".…”