Urban food resilience: a bibliometric and systematic literature review of evolution, dimensions, and planning integration

Urban food systems face escalating vulnerabilities from rapid urbanization, climate change, and supply chain disruptions, yet research on “urban food resilience” remains fragmented without coherent conceptual integration. This study addresses this gap through mixed methods combining bibliometric analysis (1,254 publications from Web of Science and Scopus databases, 2005–2024, with supplementary validation from Google Scholar and CNKI) and PRISMA-guided systematic review (85 high-quality articles rigorously screened from 1,421 initial records). As a conceptual framework-building study rather than intervention evaluation, prospective registration was not required. Bibliometric analysis revealed four developmental stages from embryonic (2005–2010, 33 articles) to explosive growth (2021–2024, 710 articles cumulatively), with research concentrated in Australia, Canada, and China forming two thematic clusters: “urban-planning-environment” and “food-agriculture-resilience.” Systematic review identified four vulnerability dimensions: structural dependency on external supplies, supply-chain fragility, social inequality in food access, and governance fragmentation. We synthesized these into a multi-dimensional framework encompassing system, production, supply-chain, and consumption resilience across spatial scales and temporal horizons. A heuristic notation R (S, T) = f (S, T, P, E, C) structures resilience analysis with measurable indicators including emergency stock days, supplier redundancy indices, and 15-min food access coverage. Key research gaps include validated assessment tools, cross-scale mechanisms, and policy evaluation evidence. This framework provides theoretical foundations for resilience-oriented urban planning and identifies future research priorities, with particular need for Global South investigations given current underrepresentation.