Measuring Sustainability in the Built Environment: A Systematic Literature Review on Real Estate Sector
Keywords:
Index, built environment, measurement, sustainability, real estateAbstract
The study aims to evaluate the literature on measuring sustainability in the real estate sector through a bibliometric and systematic review. Accordingly, 2,519 publications published between 1990 and 2025 in the Web of Science (WoS) database were screened, and 116 studies directly related to the real estate sector and the built environment were identified. Following the PRISMA protocol, 22 studies were examined in detail. The findings reveal that research on sustainability measurement has predominantly focused on environmental sciences, whereas studies specific to the real estate sector and the built environment remain rather limited. While most of the studies emphasize the environmental dimension, it is observed that economic, social, cultural, and governance dimensions have been increasingly incorporated into sustainability assessments. The study identifies methodological trends, highlights gaps in the literature, and provides future-oriented recommendations. It should be emphasized that interdisciplinary approaches, the integration of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and big data, as well as the inclusion of social dimensions such as justice, accessibility, and inclusiveness within local dynamics, are essential for sustainability measurement. Ultimately, the study seeks to provide both theoretical and practical contributions to policymakers, investors, and the academic community in developing more comprehensive sustainability frameworks in the real estate sector.
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