Connecting urban green and blue spaces with children’ health: a bibliometric analysis in CiteSpace and VOSviewer

IntroductionRapid urbanization has increasingly restricted children’s access to natural environments, raising concerns about potential consequences for their physical, mental, and social well-being. Urban green and blue spaces are known to offer significant health benefits, including physical activi...

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Main Authors: Yutong Kang, Zhengbing Guo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1560467/full
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author Yutong Kang
Zhengbing Guo
author_facet Yutong Kang
Zhengbing Guo
author_sort Yutong Kang
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionRapid urbanization has increasingly restricted children’s access to natural environments, raising concerns about potential consequences for their physical, mental, and social well-being. Urban green and blue spaces are known to offer significant health benefits, including physical activity promotion, psychological restoration, and social development.MethodsThis study conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to examine the relationship between urban green/blue spaces and children’s health. A total of 575 relevant publications from 1981 to 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science database. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used for keyword co-occurrence analysis, co-citation mapping, and burst detection to visualize research trends and thematic evolution.ResultsThree major research phases were identified: (1) early focus on physical health outcomes, (2) a shift toward urban environmental contexts, and (3) emerging emphasis on sustainability, environmental quality, and walkability. While green spaces have been extensively studied, blue spaces remain underrepresented, especially in terms of their synergistic benefits when combined with green spaces. Key research themes include mental and physical health impacts, social skills development, and the educational functions of nature exposure.DiscussionThis study reveals the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of current research and emphasizes the importance of ensuring equitable access to high-quality natural environments in urban areas. The findings offer practical implications for urban planners and policymakers and establish a research foundation for promoting sustainable urban development that supports children’s health and well-being.
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spelling doaj-art-a15e9a3518e144febc5c591df57ae3a02025-08-20T02:28:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-05-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.15604671560467Connecting urban green and blue spaces with children’ health: a bibliometric analysis in CiteSpace and VOSviewerYutong Kang0Zhengbing Guo1Xi'an Innovation College of Yan'an University, Xi'an, ChinaSchool of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ChinaIntroductionRapid urbanization has increasingly restricted children’s access to natural environments, raising concerns about potential consequences for their physical, mental, and social well-being. Urban green and blue spaces are known to offer significant health benefits, including physical activity promotion, psychological restoration, and social development.MethodsThis study conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to examine the relationship between urban green/blue spaces and children’s health. A total of 575 relevant publications from 1981 to 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science database. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used for keyword co-occurrence analysis, co-citation mapping, and burst detection to visualize research trends and thematic evolution.ResultsThree major research phases were identified: (1) early focus on physical health outcomes, (2) a shift toward urban environmental contexts, and (3) emerging emphasis on sustainability, environmental quality, and walkability. While green spaces have been extensively studied, blue spaces remain underrepresented, especially in terms of their synergistic benefits when combined with green spaces. Key research themes include mental and physical health impacts, social skills development, and the educational functions of nature exposure.DiscussionThis study reveals the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of current research and emphasizes the importance of ensuring equitable access to high-quality natural environments in urban areas. The findings offer practical implications for urban planners and policymakers and establish a research foundation for promoting sustainable urban development that supports children’s health and well-being.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1560467/fullurban green spaceurban blue spacechildren’s healthCiteSpaceVOSviewer
spellingShingle Yutong Kang
Zhengbing Guo
Connecting urban green and blue spaces with children’ health: a bibliometric analysis in CiteSpace and VOSviewer
Frontiers in Psychology
urban green space
urban blue space
children’s health
CiteSpace
VOSviewer
title Connecting urban green and blue spaces with children’ health: a bibliometric analysis in CiteSpace and VOSviewer
title_full Connecting urban green and blue spaces with children’ health: a bibliometric analysis in CiteSpace and VOSviewer
title_fullStr Connecting urban green and blue spaces with children’ health: a bibliometric analysis in CiteSpace and VOSviewer
title_full_unstemmed Connecting urban green and blue spaces with children’ health: a bibliometric analysis in CiteSpace and VOSviewer
title_short Connecting urban green and blue spaces with children’ health: a bibliometric analysis in CiteSpace and VOSviewer
title_sort connecting urban green and blue spaces with children health a bibliometric analysis in citespace and vosviewer
topic urban green space
urban blue space
children’s health
CiteSpace
VOSviewer
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1560467/full
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AT zhengbingguo connectingurbangreenandbluespaceswithchildrenhealthabibliometricanalysisincitespaceandvosviewer