Aims: Spatial cohesion is a concept in urban studies that concerns the relationships and interactions among the spatial components of cities across different scales. It encompasses physical, functional, social, and planning dimensions and is associated with territorial cohesion, spatial integration, accessibility, urban morphology, and social cohesion. Despite increasing studies, the literature remains fragmented in concepts, themes, geography, and collaboration. Therefore, this study aims to analyze scientific outputs on urban spatial cohesion indexed in the Scopus database, identify major thematic areas and their evolution, examine the geographical distribution of research, and investigate international scientific collaboration patterns. The study provides a quantitative overview of scientific patterns, thematic structures, and collaboration networks and identifies potential thematic gaps and future research directions.
Materials & Methods: This study is applied and descriptive-analytical in approach. Scientific outputs related to urban spatial cohesion were retrieved from the Scopus database and screened according to thematic criteria. The final dataset included 491 documents from 252 sources, 2000–2026. Bibliometric characteristics included annual production, growth rate, authors per document, international co-authorship, keywords, leading journals, geographical distribution, and country collaboration. Keyword co-occurrence, thematic evolution, and collaboration networks were analyzed. Thematic evolution was examined across 2000–2019, 2020–2024, and 2025–2026. VOSviewer 1.6.20 and Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny were used for visualization and analysis.
Findings: The analysis identified 491 documents, 252 sources, a 14.84% annual growth rate, 2.9 authors per document, 22% international co-authorship, 1,773 keywords, 25,833 cited references, a 5.78-year average document age, and 17.9 citations per article. Publication activity was limited and gradual during the early years, with fewer than 10 papers annually until approximately 2010. Growth became more pronounced after 2013 and increased notably from 2020 onward, reaching the highest levels in 2025 and 2026. Because the data were extracted on June 20, 2026, the 2026 figures are provisional and represent an incomplete year. The leading journals were Sustainability (Switzerland) with 49 documents, Land with 21, Cities with 16, European Planning Studies with 13, Urban Studies with 10, and Land Use Policy with 8. Other outlets included Sustainable Cities and Society, Habitat International, Applied Geography, and Environment & Planning B: Urban Analytics & City Science. This distribution reflects links with sustainability, urban and regional planning, land-use policy, spatial analysis, and data-driven planning. China had the highest number of affiliated publications (230), followed by Spain (84), the United Kingdom (53), Portugal (44), Italy (41), and the United States (40). Indonesia, Poland, the Netherlands, and Germany also showed notable participation. Iran was represented by six documents. These frequencies are based on institutional affiliations; totals may differ from the number of documents because publications can involve multiple countries. Iran’s figure reflects only eligible English-language Scopus outputs and does not represent its total research capacity. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified five major clusters: territorial cohesion and spatial planning; urban planning and urban morphology; spatial structure and urban networks; spatial integration and urban regeneration; and accessibility and social cohesion. Territorial Cohesion was the most frequent keyword (59 occurrences; total link strength [TLS] = 30), followed by Spatial Integration (34; TLS = 17) and Space Syntax (31; TLS = 22). Other prominent terms included Accessibility (19; TLS = 12), Sustainable Development (18; TLS = 12), Spatial Planning (17; TLS = 16), Urban Planning (10; TLS = 9), Urban Cohesion (10; TLS = 5), Urban Morphology (9; TLS = 8), Social Cohesion (8; TLS = 7), and Regional Development and Urban Development (8 each; TLS = 6). These measures indicate keyword frequency and co-occurrence strength but do not establish theoretical hierarchy or causal relationships. Thematic evolution showed that during 2000–2019, Territorial Cohesion, Spatial Integration, Regional Development, Accessibility, Urban Development, Segregation, and Polycentricity were prominent. During 2020–2024, Territorial Cohesion and Spatial Integration continued alongside Spatial Planning, Space Syntax, Urban Cohesion, and Sustainable Development. In 2025–2026, Space Syntax, Spatial Integration, Urban Cohesion, GIS, Spatial Analysis, Green Infrastructure, and Urban Regeneration became more visible. Because the periods have unequal lengths and 2026 is incomplete, these patterns indicate thematic emphasis rather than definitive future trends. The country collaboration network showed China, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and Italy as prominent nodes. Spain and the United Kingdom demonstrated broad connections, while Germany and Italy linked several European countries. China showed strong production and connections with Europe, the United States, and Asia. Early collaboration was more visible among European and US countries, whereas later networks included China, Türkiye, Colombia, and Singapore. Iran appeared as a smaller node with limited links.
Conclusion: Overall, urban spatial cohesion research has developed into an expanding and interdisciplinary field characterized by increasing scientific production and considerable thematic diversity. The analysis of 491 documents demonstrates that the literature encompasses territorial cohesion, spatial integration, spatial planning, urban morphology, accessibility, spatial networks, sustainability, social cohesion, and urban regeneration. While Territorial Cohesion and Spatial Integration remain central concepts, the growing presence of Space Syntax, Urban Morphology, Spatial Analysis, Green Infrastructure, and Urban Regeneration indicates an expansion toward spatial-analytical, morphological, social, and sustainability-related perspectives. The uneven geographical distribution of scientific production and the structure of international collaboration show that research remains concentrated in several active countries, while participation has gradually expanded, particularly in Asia. Overall, this study provides a quantitative overview of publication trends, thematic structures, geographical distribution, and international collaboration, providing a basis for identifying thematic gaps, strengthening scientific cooperation, and developing research on spatial structure, planning, accessibility, social cohesion, sustainability, and spatial analysis.