Mapping the geographical imbalance in space syntax research

Abdelbaseer A. Mohamed

doi:10.18778/1231-1952.33.1.03

Authors

Abdelbaseer A. Mohamed University of Lodz, Faculty of Economics and Sociology, Social-Ecological Systems Analysis Lab https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7619-2166

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1231-1952.33.1.03

Keywords:

space syntax, bibliometrics, geographical inequality, citation impact, structural invisibility

Abstract

Imagine a scientific world in which researchers everywhere have equal opportunities to publish and gain recognition. Far from being an exception, space syntax research is shaped by structural inequalities that privilege Northern institutions and epistemologies. While existing bibliometric reviews broadly map the field, they overlook how selective indexing structures global visibility. Drawing on 2,323 Web of Science–indexed space syntax articles, this review examines publication growth, citation impact, and journal landscapes across regions. The findings show that although research activity is expanding globally, particularly in Asia, citation impact remains concentrated in the United States and the United Kingdom. Elite Northern journals dominate the field, while Southern scholarship largely circulates in less visible venues, reinforcing enduring geographical imbalances in knowledge production.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

ALBARRAN, P., CRESPO, J. A., ORTUÑO, I. and RUIZ-CASTILLO, J. (2011), ‘The skewness of science in 219 sub-fields and a number of aggregates’, Scientometrics, 88 (2), pp. 385–397. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-011-0407-9

ARIA, M. and CUCCURULLO, C. (2017), ‘Bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis’, Journal of Informetrics, 11 (4), pp. 959–975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007

BABBU, A. H. (2023), ‘Mapping space syntax as a computational tool: A bibliometric analysis’, Journal of Engineering Science and Technology Review, 16 (6), pp. 82–89. https://doi.org/10.25103/jestr.166.10

BASSIOUNEY, R. (2024), ‘The politics of writing and reading: An Arabic sociolinguistics perspective [Journal of Arabic Sociolinguistics]’, International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 289–290, pp. 53–58. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2024-0131

BASSIOUNEY, R. and MUEHLHAEUSLER, M. (2017), ‘Cairo: The linguistic dynamics of a multilingual city’, [in:] SMAKMAN, D. and HEINRICH, P. (eds), Urban sociolinguistics: The city as a linguistic process and experience, Routledge.

BETTENCOURT, L. M. A., KAISER, D. I., KAUR, J., CASTILLO-CHAVEZ, C. and WOJICK, D. E. (2008), ‘Population modeling of the emergence and development of scientific fields’, Scientometrics, 75 (3), pp. 495–518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-007-1888-4

BORNMANN, L. and MUTZ, R. (2015), ‘Growth rates of modern science: A bibliometric analysis based on the number of publications and cited references’, Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 66 (11), pp. 2215–2222. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23329

CHEN, C. and LEYDESDORFF, L. (2014), ‘Patterns of connections and movements in dual-map overlays: A new method of publication portfolio analysis’, Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 65 (2), pp. 334–351. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.22968

DONTHU, N., KUMAR, S., MUKHERJEE, D., PANDEY, N. and LIM, W. M. (2021), ‘How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines’, Journal of Business Research, 133, pp. 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070

GANDIA, R. M., ANTONIALLI, F., CAVAZZA, B. H., NETO, A. M., LIMA, D. A. DE, SUGANO, J. Y., NICOLAI, I. and ZAMBALDE, A. L. (2019), ‘Autonomous vehicles: Scientometric and bibliometric review’, Transport Reviews, 39 (1), pp. 9–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2018.1518937

GONZALEZ-BRAMBILA, C. N., VELOSO, F. M. and KRACKHARDT, D. (2013), ‘The impact of network embeddedness on research output’, Research Policy, 42 (9), pp. 1555–1567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2013.07.008

HICKS, D., WOUTERS, P., WALTMAN, L., DE RIJCKE, S. and RAFOLS, I. (2015), ‘Bibliometrics: The Leiden Manifesto for research metrics’, Nature, 520 (7548), pp. 429–431. https://doi.org/10.1038/520429a

HILLIER, B. (1996), Space is the machine: A configurational theory of architecture, Cambridge University Press.

KING, D. A. (2004), ‘The scientific impact of nations’, Nature, 430 (6997), pp. 311–316. https://doi.org/10.1038/430311a

KRENZ, K., PSARRA, S. and NETTO, V. M. (2023), ‘Mapping the conceptual system of an urban theory and its evolution: A text analysis of space syntax conference papers over 20 years’, Urban Morphology, 27 (2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.51347/UM27.0014

LANGUM, V. and SULLIVAN, K. P. H. (2020), ‘Academic writing, scholarly identity, voice and the benefits and challenges of multilingualism: Reflections from Norwegian doctoral researchers in teacher education’, Linguistics and Education, 60, 100883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2020.100883

LEYDESDORFF, L. and WAGNER, C. (2009), ‘Is the United States losing ground in science? A global perspective on the world science system’, Scientometrics, 78 (1), pp. 23–36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-008-1830-4

MARTINS, A. (2020), ‘Reimagining equity: Redressing power imbalances between the global North and the global South’, Gender and Development, 28 (1), pp. 135–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2020.1717172

MENG, D. and ZHANG, J. (2025), ‘The evolution of space syntax over the past two decades: Evidence from China’, Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 24 (5), pp. 4606–4624. https://doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2024.2399739

MERTON, R. K. (1968), ‘The Matthew Effect in Science: The reward and communication systems of science are considered’, Science, 159 (3810), pp. 56–63. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.159.3810.56

MOHAMED, A. A. (2025), ‘Using BERTopic modelling to map the evolution of space syntax re-search’, Land Use Policy, 157, 107639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2025.107639

MOHAMED, A. A. and VAN DER LAAG YAMU, C. (2024), ‘Space Syntax has Come of Age: A Bibliometric Review from 1976 to 2023’, Journal of Planning Literature, 39 (2), pp. 203-217. https://doi.org/10.1177/08854122231208018

MUR-DUEÑAS, P. (2019), ‘The experience of a NNES outer circle novice scholar in scholarly publication’, [in:] HABIBIE, P. and HYLAND, K. (eds), Novice Writers and Scholarly Publication: Authors, Mentors, Gatekeepers, pp. 97–115, Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95333-5_6

OZTIG, L. I. (2024), ‘IR and the Global South: Revising Obstacles to a Global Discipline’, Global South Review, 5 (2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.22146/globalsouth.89891

PARNELL, S. and ROBINSON, J. (2012), ‘(Re)theorizing Cities from the Global South: Looking Beyond Neoliberalism’, Urban Geography, 33 (4), pp. 593–617. https://doi.org/10.2747/0272-3638.33.4.593

PETERS, D. P. and CECI, S. J. (1982), ‘Peer-review practices of psychological journals: The fate of published articles, submitted again’, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 5 (2), pp. 187–195. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X00011183

SAREWITZ, D. and PIELKE, R. A. (2007), ‘The neglected heart of science policy: Reconciling supply of and demand for science’, Environmental Science and Policy, 10 (1), pp. 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2006.10.001

SINGH, V. K., SINGH, P., KARMAKAR, M., LETA, J. and MAYR, P. (2021), ‘The journal coverage of Web of Science, Scopus and Dimensions: A comparative analysis’, Scientometrics, 126 (6), pp. 5113–5142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-021-03948-5

SMITH, M. J., WEINBERGER, C., BRUNA, E. M. and ALLESINA, S. (2014), ‘The Scientific Impact of Nations: Journal Placement and Citation Performance’, PLOS ONE, 9 (10), e109195. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0109195

TIKLY, L. (2024), Transforming knowledge and research for just and sustainable futures: Towards a new social imaginary for higher education (Nos. 33; ED-2024/WP-33/1; Education, Research and Foresight: Working Papers, p. 13), UNESCO, https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000390388 [accessed on 24.12.2025].

VAN NES, A. and YAMU, C. (2021), Introduction to Space Syntax in Urban Studies, Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59140-3

VAUGHAN, L., PEPONIS, J. and DALTON, R. C. (eds) (2025), Space Syntax: Selected papers by Bill Hillier, UCL Press. https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781800087712

WAGNER, C. S., WHETSELL, T. A. and MUKHERJEE, S. (2019), ‘International research collaboration: Novelty, conventionality, and atypicality in knowledge recombination’, Research Policy, 48 (5), pp. 1260–1270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2019.01.002

WATSON, V. (2014), ‘African urban fantasies: Dreams or nightmares?’, Environment and Urbanization, 26 (1), pp. 215–231. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247813513705

YAMU, C., VAN NES, A. and GARAU, C. (2021), ‘Bill Hillier’s legacy: Space syntax—A synopsis of basic concepts, measures, and empirical application’, Sustainability, 13 (6), 3394. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063394

ZHOU, P. and LEYDESDORFF, L. (2006), ‘The emergence of China as a leading nation in science’, Research Policy, 35(1), pp. 83–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2005.08.006

ZUPIC, I. and ČATER, T. (2015), ‘Bibliometric methods in management and organization’, Organizational Research Methods, 18 (3), pp. 429–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629