Ecological city concept: Challenge and future research agenda in urban ecology perspective

Abstract

Cities are no longer viewed as creatures with a linear-climax-established cycle but as ecosystems with dynamic and complicated processes, with people as the primary component. Thus, we must understand urban ecology’s structure and function to create urban planning and appreciate the mechanisms, dynamics, and evolution that connect human and ecological processes. The ecological city (ecocity) is one of the city conceptions that has evolved with the perspective of urban ecology history. The concept of ecocity development within urban ecology systems pertains to recognizing cities as complex ecosystems primarily influenced by human activities. In this context, individuals actively engage in dynamic problem-solving approaches to address environmental challenges to ensure a sustainable and satisfactory quality of life for future generations. Therefore, it is necessary to study how ecocity has developed since it was initiated today and how it relates to the urban ecology perspective. This study aims to investigate the progression of scholarly publications on ecocity research from 1980 to 2023. Additionally, it intends to ascertain the trajectory of ecological city research trends, establish connections between scientific concepts, and construct an ecological city science network using keyword co-occurrence analysis from the urban ecology perspective. The present study used a descriptive bibliometric analysis and literature review methodology. The data was obtained by utilizing the Lens.org database, was conducted using the VOS (Visualization of Similarities) viewer software for data analysis. The urban ecology research area ecology of cities can be studied further from density visualization of ecosystem services and life cycle assessment. Finally, the challenges and future agenda of ecocity research include addressing humans by modeling functions or processes that connect humans with ecosystems (ecology of cities), urban design, ecological imperatives, integration research, and improving the contribution to environmental goals, spatial distribution, agriculture, natural resources, policy, economic development, and public health.