Universal Accessibility to Cultural Heritage in Spain: A Bibliometric Review

Universal accessibility in cultural heritage is a key challenge to ensure the inclusion of all visitors in historical and tourist environments. The aim of this research is to analyze the current state of research on universal accessibility to cultural heritage in Spain, identifying the key instituti...

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Main Authors: Antonio del Bosque, Pablo Fernández-Arias, Patricia Castro-López, María Nieto-Sobrino, Diego Vergara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/9/1563
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author Antonio del Bosque
Pablo Fernández-Arias
Patricia Castro-López
María Nieto-Sobrino
Diego Vergara
author_facet Antonio del Bosque
Pablo Fernández-Arias
Patricia Castro-López
María Nieto-Sobrino
Diego Vergara
author_sort Antonio del Bosque
collection DOAJ
description Universal accessibility in cultural heritage is a key challenge to ensure the inclusion of all visitors in historical and tourist environments. The aim of this research is to analyze the current state of research on universal accessibility to cultural heritage in Spain, identifying the key institutions, themes, and trends within this field. Additionally, it seeks to assess how these findings relate to national priorities and highlight gaps in the implementation of accessibility measures. This study employed the PRISMA 2020 framework to select and analyze 1035 scientific articles published between 2010 and 2025, retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Bibliometrix (an R package) and Biblioshiny were used to analyze the data. The results show an exponential growth in publications since 2018, highlighting key areas such as accessible tourism, digitalization, the use of technologies for heritage documentation, urban planning, and geo-heritage conservation. It is concluded that accessibility in cultural heritage is an expanding interdisciplinary field with increasing international significance. It is recommended to continue exploring innovative technological solutions, strengthen governance strategies, and expand studies to rural and natural environments to ensure truly universal accessibility.
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spelling doaj-art-585ead18ccc54358926dd984e14cc5482025-08-20T02:59:08ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-05-01159156310.3390/buildings15091563Universal Accessibility to Cultural Heritage in Spain: A Bibliometric ReviewAntonio del Bosque0Pablo Fernández-Arias1Patricia Castro-López2María Nieto-Sobrino3Diego Vergara4Technology, Instruction and Design in Engineering and Education Research Group (TiDEE.rg), Catholic University of Ávila, C/Canteros s/n, 05005 Ávila, SpainTechnology, Instruction and Design in Engineering and Education Research Group (TiDEE.rg), Catholic University of Ávila, C/Canteros s/n, 05005 Ávila, SpainTechnology, Instruction and Design in Engineering and Education Research Group (TiDEE.rg), Catholic University of Ávila, C/Canteros s/n, 05005 Ávila, SpainTechnology, Instruction and Design in Engineering and Education Research Group (TiDEE.rg), Catholic University of Ávila, C/Canteros s/n, 05005 Ávila, SpainTechnology, Instruction and Design in Engineering and Education Research Group (TiDEE.rg), Catholic University of Ávila, C/Canteros s/n, 05005 Ávila, SpainUniversal accessibility in cultural heritage is a key challenge to ensure the inclusion of all visitors in historical and tourist environments. The aim of this research is to analyze the current state of research on universal accessibility to cultural heritage in Spain, identifying the key institutions, themes, and trends within this field. Additionally, it seeks to assess how these findings relate to national priorities and highlight gaps in the implementation of accessibility measures. This study employed the PRISMA 2020 framework to select and analyze 1035 scientific articles published between 2010 and 2025, retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Bibliometrix (an R package) and Biblioshiny were used to analyze the data. The results show an exponential growth in publications since 2018, highlighting key areas such as accessible tourism, digitalization, the use of technologies for heritage documentation, urban planning, and geo-heritage conservation. It is concluded that accessibility in cultural heritage is an expanding interdisciplinary field with increasing international significance. It is recommended to continue exploring innovative technological solutions, strengthen governance strategies, and expand studies to rural and natural environments to ensure truly universal accessibility.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/9/1563accessibilityheritagedigitalizationinclusiveculturalbibliometric review
spellingShingle Antonio del Bosque
Pablo Fernández-Arias
Patricia Castro-López
María Nieto-Sobrino
Diego Vergara
Universal Accessibility to Cultural Heritage in Spain: A Bibliometric Review
Buildings
accessibility
heritage
digitalization
inclusive
cultural
bibliometric review
title Universal Accessibility to Cultural Heritage in Spain: A Bibliometric Review
title_full Universal Accessibility to Cultural Heritage in Spain: A Bibliometric Review
title_fullStr Universal Accessibility to Cultural Heritage in Spain: A Bibliometric Review
title_full_unstemmed Universal Accessibility to Cultural Heritage in Spain: A Bibliometric Review
title_short Universal Accessibility to Cultural Heritage in Spain: A Bibliometric Review
title_sort universal accessibility to cultural heritage in spain a bibliometric review
topic accessibility
heritage
digitalization
inclusive
cultural
bibliometric review
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/9/1563
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AT patriciacastrolopez universalaccessibilitytoculturalheritageinspainabibliometricreview
AT marianietosobrino universalaccessibilitytoculturalheritageinspainabibliometricreview
AT diegovergara universalaccessibilitytoculturalheritageinspainabibliometricreview