Introduction

Today, urban areas have emerged as one of the most dynamic, challenging, and at the same time, opportunity-creating geographical spaces. Rapid urbanization, climate change, epidemics, and increasing pressure on natural and environmental assets have made attention to periurban spaces an inevitable necessity. However, the existing knowledge in this field is scattered and lacks an integrated and coherent framework. By mapping periurban knowledge, the present study will provide a comprehensive, objective, and dynamic picture of existing research, and pave the way for identifying emerging clusters and research gaps and defining interdisciplinary research. The innovation of the present study is that it is considered the first systematic attempt to visually represent and network analyze global periurban knowledge with a quantitative-network approach and by using specialized software VOSviewer, which provides a new framework for guiding future research.

Methodology

The present study is an applied research in terms of its purpose, qualitative in nature, and analytical bibliometrics in terms of its method with a network analysis approach. The research data were extracted using a structured search in the Scopus scientific database, and in this regard, keywords such as "peri-urban" OR "periurban" OR "peri urban" OR "urban fringe" OR "rural-urban fringe" OR "rural-urban interface" were searched. In fact, the monitoring of resources was carried out using a systematic method in the Scopus scientific database. The search was carried out based on keywords related to peri-urban, in fields including title, abstract, and keywords. The time period of the present study is from 1987 to 2025, and only English-language resources indexed in Scopus were included in the research process. Data normalization was performed at the level of standardization of keywords and integration of different forms of a concept such as synonyms, singular/plural forms, etc. This process was performed using the internal potential of Vosviewer software. In the search process, 488 sources including articles, books, book chapters, conference papers and other documents were retrieved. All retrieved sources were downloaded as CSV or RIS files from Scopus and imported into VOSviewer software. After that, the data were processed for bibliometric analyses (co-authorship, co-occurrence, vocabulary density and temporal analysis). Therefore, the present method ensures that the present research is based on transparent, reproducible data and is based on a valid international scientific database.

Results and discussion

According to the research results, the conceptual evolution of peri-urbanism has been in seven stages including 2010-1987; 2010-2012; 2012-2014; 2014-2016; 2016-2018; 2018-2020 and 2024-2020. Since 2020, the focus has been on concepts such as carbon, food supply, smart systems, biochemical oxygen demand, energy efficiency, urban forests, peri-urban agriculture, open data, smart city, Covid-19, land management, land tenure, management approach, rural, healthcare policymaking, urban design, perception, urban context, urban sprawl, awareness, ecosystem and self-efficacy. The main finding of the co-occurrence analysis of the vocabulary is the identification of 13 conceptual clusters and revealing the diversity and breadth of the peri-urban domain, as well as the strong emphasis on the concepts of urban planning, sustainable development and the importance of the urban area. The combination of co-occurrence analysis and vocabulary density mapping, while identifying frequent words, indicates that the peri-urban domain is evolving and evolving in interaction with concepts such as smart city, peri-urban agriculture, urban ecosystem, land management and urban health. The outcome of the present study is based on identifying emerging fields such as urban agriculture, urban smartization and response to crises such as COVID-19 and has highlighted knowledge gaps in this field, especially the integration of peri-urban with land, health and open data policies. These findings pave the way for the design of future research focusing on sustainable and resilient peri-urban areas.

Conclusion

By comprehensively analyzing the co-occurrence maps, temporal evolution, and density of peri-urban vocabulary, the research findings revealed profound and fundamental transformations in this concept, rooted in the inherent dynamics of peri-urban areas as urban-rural transition spaces and responses to social, economic, environmental, and technological challenges. In the period 1987-2010, research focused mainly on technical and infrastructural dimensions such as water, waste, and sanitation management, but after 2010, a multidimensional, systemic, and human-centered approach replaced the unidimensional perspective. This new trend is in line with theoretical developments toward spatial justice, participatory governance, and people-centered planning, and is also confirmed by the recurrence of keywords such as “human,” “social justice,” and “land tenure.” In 2020-2024, peri-urban areas played an active and strategic role in the face of global crises—including COVID-19, climate change, and food insecurity—and emerged as the frontline in confronting these crises. This finding is consistent with theories of urban resilience. At the same time, the introduction of digital technologies, open data, and remote sensing has linked peri-urban areas to the era of smart and data-driven cities. This development is in line with the theories of sustainable smart city, green city, and smart governance. The analysis of 13 keyword clusters shows that peri-urban areas today are an integrated space between the city and the countryside, where ecological, socio-cultural, economic, and governance linkages are materialized. This development has been shaped by theoretical perspectives such as rural-urban and multifunctional perspectives. In summary, the present study, through quantitative and qualitative analysis, has clarified the conceptual developments of peri-urban areas and provided a theoretical-practical framework for future research. This framework is based on foundations such as human-centeredness, ecological-social-economic sustainability, smartization, and spatial justice, and will pave the way for transforming peri-urban areas into dynamic, strategic spaces and the beating heart of sustainable and smart development.