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A Systematic Review of Morphological Transformation of Urban Open Spaces: Drivers, Trends, and Methods

Author

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  • Yaoyao Zhu

    (Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Iskandar Puteri 81310, Malaysia)

  • Gabriel Hoh Teck Ling

    (Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Iskandar Puteri 81310, Malaysia)

Abstract

Ongoing urbanization has led to the continuous expansion of built-up areas; as a result, open space is under great threat. Despite the wealth of studies conducted on open spaces, there is still a further need to further investigate the morphology of open space, particularly in an effort to understand the trends and drivers of open space morphological transformation that remain under-researched. Besides, although the previous literature has highlighted several factors influencing urban space morphology, it remains unclear how those key drivers interact. In this article, the PRISMA methodology was used to conduct a systematic literature review, screening and selecting articles from three primary databases (Web of Science, Elsevier, and Scopus). In total, 47 journal articles covering the years 2000 to 2022 were selected for the final review to identify key factors that influence open space morphology, including natural geographical factors, socioeconomic factors, and government policy factors. The results indicate that, as cities developed, the size of green spaces decreased, their structure fragmented, and their distribution became progressively less connected. Meanwhile, socioeconomic determinants played a greater role in influencing changes in green spaces than natural geographical factors and policy management factors. In addition, carrying out the present study confirmed that Landsat remote-sensing data with landscape metrics is a powerful research method for studying green space change. A research framework is offered in this paper to illustrate an understanding of which factors influence the dynamics of green spaces, identify the interaction mechanisms, and provide an optimization strategy of urban open space for urban planners or policymakers.

Suggested Citation

  • Yaoyao Zhu & Gabriel Hoh Teck Ling, 2022. "A Systematic Review of Morphological Transformation of Urban Open Spaces: Drivers, Trends, and Methods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-22, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:17:p:10856-:d:902799
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wei XIAOHUI & Nurhayati Abdul MALEK & Salina MOHAMED ALI, 2024. "The Impact Of Sustainable Development Goals On Urban Green Space: A Bibliometric Analysis Of The Literature," Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 19(3), pages 31-48, August.
    2. Danning Zhang & Gabriel Hoh Teck Ling & Siti Hajar binti Misnan & Minglu Fang, 2023. "A Systematic Review of Factors Influencing the Vitality of Public Open Spaces: A Novel Perspective Using Social–Ecological Model (SEM)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-19, March.
    3. Selda İnançoğlu & Havva Arslangazi Uzunahmet & Özge Özden, 2023. "The Effect of Green Spaces on User Satisfaction in Historical City of Nicosia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-18, August.
    4. Md. Tariqul Islam & Zia Ahmed & Abdul Kadir & Shrinidhi Ambinakudige & Md. Iftaul Ahad & Rubaid Hassan & Hafiz-Al-Rezoan & Md. Sanwar Hossain & Md. Abu Hena Pohil, 2025. "Influence of green space on land surface temperature in the coastal cities in Bangladesh," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 5133-5155, February.
    5. Jiawuhaier Aishanjiang & Xiaofen Li & Fan Qiu & Yichen Jia & Kai Li & Junnan Xia, 2025. "Spatiotemporal Evolution and Proximity Dynamics of “Three-Zone Spaces” in Yangtze River Basin Counties from 2000 to 2020," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-24, June.

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