A Systems‑Oriented Bibliometric and Qualitative Synthesis of Sustainable Construction for Climate‑Resilient Smart Cities in the Global South

The inquiry is motivated by the desire to generate new empirical insights and to contribute, both theoretically and empirically, thus advancing understanding and offering original evidence in the field of sustainable construction in smart cities of the Global South. It investigates sustainable construction in smart cities of the Global South through an embedded mixed‑methods research design that integrates quantitative bibliometric analysis with qualitative content analysis of peer‑reviewed publications indexed in Web of Science and Scopus. Using VOSviewer to map structural and relational patterns and systematic coding to interpret textual content, the research generates new empirical insights into how construction practices intersect with climate adaptation and inclusive governance. Drawing on resilience theory, sustainability transitions, and social‑ecological systems thinking, the analysis identifies dominant themes, uncovers knowledge clusters, and reveals under‑explored areas such as financing mechanisms. The findings demonstrate a dense but uneven intellectual landscape shaped by global frameworks, including the SDGs, while exposing persistent gaps in local implementation, community engagement, and scale‑up interventions. The paper contributes theoretically by refining sustainability transitions to incorporate governance and resource constraints, and empirically by situating construction within social‑ecological systems. By advancing a systems‑oriented framework, the paper offers original evidence that positions sustainable construction as a strategic lever for resilient and inclusive smart cities in the Global South.