This study systematically reviews 336 peer-reviewed articles on gated communities (1997–2023) to examine thematic evolution and geographic diversification. Guided by a unified conceptual framework, it identifies six meta-themes and traces a transition from early defensive architecture to contemporary sustainable assemblages. The findings also reveal a significant “Southern turn” dominated by China and a conceptual shift where the gate has evolved from a physical barrier into a sophisticated filter for socio-political and ecological management. Transcending the state-retreat binary, this review advocates for assemblage theory and “negotiated urbanism” to address the urgent environmental and equity challenges posed by global gated urbanization.

Video has long served as a research tool across disciplines. In planning, film has shaped urban imaginaries, whether as a form of urban marketing by city authorities or as a mode of resistance. Increasingly, film is used to foster community engagement, but systematic analyses of participatory video (PV) for decolonizing approaches to planning are scarce. This article reviews experiences using film as a PV practice in planning and across disciplines, discussing lessons learned and arguing that when embedded within ethical, reflective frameworks, the moving image can destabilize hierarchies, foster dialogue and mutual learning, and expand epistemic pluralism in planning practice.

Public Open Spaces (POS) have been a subject of interest over the years. However, systematic investigations of their utility are limited. Evaluation of the utility of POS can help inform interventions for urban planning and design, as well as address the issues of underutilization of POS in urban areas. Utility in this context denotes the usability of POS by individuals. A systematic literature review following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines was conducted which identified 68 papers on POS research, focusing on utility, use, usability, and their corresponding factors, indicators, influence, and impact, to extract significant information. The study extracted key themes in POS literature and derived a categorized list of variables that influence POS usage. The results and findings can serve as a database for various methodological approaches, and factors and variables useful for mapping and evaluating the utility of POS, which would inform future empirical work and assist in planning and policymaking.

The field of post-disaster recovery has undergone major epistemological shifts in the past century, with disasters being redefined beyond natural phenomena to expose vulnerabilities within institutional and social systems. Despite planning being recognized as essential for building back better, this ideal remains constrained by incoherent and maladaptive post-disaster spatial intervention. Insufficient theoretical and instrumental grounding for recovery planning is a major problem. The idea of urban morphogenesis describes and prescribes adaptive and fundamental urban changes. Recognizing disaster as a morphogenetic agent of change forms the basis for morpho-resilience—a tactical and place-based planning framework for more coherent post-disaster recovery.

This literature review offers a comprehensive framework for engaging social value within property development in planning studies. It critically examines how the concept is represented in academic discourse, particularly within an increasingly market-driven planning landscape. In doing so, it addresses the limited exploration of social value in planning studies through the development of a conceptual framework structured around three dimensions: representation, management, and assessment of social value. This nuanced approach emphasizes integrating research approaches and further exploring existing tools to mobilize social value in planning practice effectively, which is vital for addressing contemporary challenges and shaping future practices.