Bibliometric Analysis of Spatial Accessibility from 1999–2022

Abstract

Spatial accessibility is an essential manifestation of social equity and spatial planning. However, when examining spatial accessibility, systematic review studies dominate the literature, with fewer studies employing evaluative and relational bibliometric approaches. Thus, to provide a comprehensive overview of spatial accessibility research from 1999 to 2022, the works of literature referenced and analyzed by the Web of Science during 1999–2022 were analyzed: bibliometrics and scientific mapping methods using R software, the biblioshiny web program, tidyverse (ggplot2), and VOSviewer. The analysis results indicate a significant increase in the number of research papers addressing spatial accessibility throughout the research period accompanied by a continuous expansion of the research area. Collaboration and research endeavors among countries in this domain have deepened, leading to a continual improvement in the quality of papers. In addition, influential journals, authors, and articles in the field of spatial accessibility were also counted. New data, methods, and technology will become substantially more critical in accessibility research.