Algahtany, M.; Radzi, A. R.; Rani, H. A. and Rahman, R. A. (2026) Sustainable development goals in the construction industry: Science mapping of present and future trends. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, pp. 1-20. ISSN 2044-124X
Abstract
Purpose – Despite increasing attention to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the construction industry remains fragmented in its alignment with global sustainability targets. Existing works are dispersed across disciplines, limiting a clear understanding of dominant research themes and emerging directions. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the knowledge structure and identify future research trends of the SDGs within the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach – A bibliometric science mapping analysis was conducted on 1, 026 peer-reviewed journal articles published in English and indexed in the web of science (WoS) core collection. Citation analysis, co-citation analysis, and co-word analysis were performed to examine the intellectual structure and future research trends. Findings – The citation analysis revealed five themes, the co-citation analysis identified six clusters and the co-word analysis produced six clusters. Additionally, five key themes were identified regarding the knowledge structure of the SDGs within the construction industry: sustainable construction practices, environmental policy and governance, sustainable urban and regional development, innovative technologies for sustainable construction and carbon efficiency in construction. Originality/value – This study is original in offering a structured overview of how SDG research has evolved in construction and highlighting future areas that require further investigation.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | bibliometric analysis; construction industry; science mapping: research trends; sustainable development goals |
| Index terms: | bibliometric analysis, environmental policy, sustainable construction practice, efficiency, mapping, co-word analysis, methodology, journal, sustainable construction, construction industry, sustainable development goal, governance, science, investigation, regional development |
| Subjects: | sustainable design, business, research methods, industry analysis, research dissemination and communication, spatial and geospatial analysis, public policy, performance management, sustainable construction, data collection methods, data analysis and analytics, research evaluation and metrics, specialized education, urban planning |
| Topics: | Education, Governance, Information Management, Quality Management, Research Practice, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here