Urban landscape and development effects on city sustainability: a systematic review of empirical studies

This study comprehensively reviewed empirical research published in peer-reviewed journals to identify and classify the urban landscape development effects (ULDE). The preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) and descriptive pattern-matching method were approaches applied in this study. A total of 50 ULSDE were identified after reviewing 56 selected empirical studies. A framework comprises five main categories of ULDE: energy consumption impacts, transport and mobility, climate change, land use change, and livability and resilience. The spatial distribution of ULDE research has mainly focused on high and upper-middle-income states where China, United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), and Canada are the leading countries. Most of the reviewed papers address the specific ULDE. Moreover, this study reveals the significance of holistic ULDE assessment methods and integrated urban spatial growth strategies encapsulating population growth, climatic change, and technological innovations for sustainable urban development. The checklist of ULDE and the framework would be a solid foundation for future studies and guide urban planning and policy-making decisions for urban land use efficiency and city sustainability.