Knowledge evolution in transit-oriented development: a comparative bibliometric analysis of International versus Chinese publications

The concept of transit-oriented development (TOD) originated in the USA in the early 1990s, and was widely accepted and applied worldwide over the following decades. Recently, along with the massive construction of urban rail transit systems, TOD has become a major focus of researchers and planners in China at both theoretical and empirical levels. This study is based on the publications between 2000 and 2019 retrieved from the Web of Science and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database. Bibliometrics and information visualization were applied using VOSviewer to identify the theoretical base and research dimensions for an evolutional study of TOD. Four research dimensions were identified, and the research features and foci characteristics of two groups of researchers were explored: those publishing internationally and those publishing in China. The research focuses of TOD under the international and Chinese contexts are quite different. This reflects differences in the understanding regarding TOD concepts under the contexts of different urban development patterns and policies.