Characteristics, Progress and Trends of Urban Microclimate Research: A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Climate change has been a hot topic in recent years. However, the urban microclimate is more valuable for research because it directly affects people’s living environments and can be adjusted by technological means to enhance the resilience of cities in the face of climate change and disasters. This paper analyses the literature distribution characteristics, development stages, and research trends of urban microclimate research based on the literature on “urban microclimate” collected in the Web of Science core database since 1990, using CiteSpace and VOSviewer bibliometric software. It is found that the literature distribution of the urban microclimate is characterized by continuous growth, is interdisciplinary, and can be divided into four stages: nascent exploration, model quantification, diversified development and ecological synergy. Based on the knowledge mapping analysis of keyword clustering, annual overlap, and keyword highlighting, it can be predicted that the research on foreign urban land patch development has three hot trends—multi-scale modelling, multi-factor impact, and multi-policy guidance. The study’s findings help recognize the literature distribution characteristics and evolutionary lineage of urban microclimate research and provide suggestions for future urban microclimate research.