RESEARCH STATUS AND EVOLUTIONARY TRENDS OF SMART CITY STUDIES IN CHINA: A CITESPACE-BASED KNOWLEDGE MAPPING ANALYSIS
Keywords:
Bibliometric analysis, CiteSpace, Digital governance, Knowledge mapping, Smart city, Urban digital transformationAbstract
To systematically clarify the developmental trajectory and knowledge structure of smart city research in China, this study uses CiteSpace to conduct a visual bibliometric analysis of 824 core journal articles indexed in CNKI from 2014 to 2025. The results show that annual publications in this field have generally increased, with research hotspots concentrating on smart cities, the digital economy, urban governance, big data and digital twins. Universities constitute the dominant research force, whereas inter-institutional collaboration remains relatively loose. The evolution of the field can be divided into three stages: conceptual emergence, rapid development and deepening expansion. Research attention has shifted from technological infrastructure and top-level design to governance innovation, empirical measurement, interdisciplinary integration and practical application. On the basis of identifying current limitations, this study further discusses future directions, including the convergence of emerging technologies, human-centred governance and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The findings provide a structured reference for smart city research, planning and implementation in China.References
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