A visualized overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on low-carbon built environments: an evidence review map

Increasing urbanization, population growth and looming climate change impacts are real problems that we face now and will be burning issues in the foreseeable future too. These issues emerge as a result of complex interactions between various domains which require improved access and sharing of key evidence on strategies for reducing resources consumption and lowering carbon footprint. However, rapidly accumulating evidence from the built environment sector, a multi-disciplinary field of study, provides challenges when attempting to find scientifically robust research and distil knowledge to draw confident conclusions in a reasonable timeframe. Since there is a vast number of primary studies, to create an evidence overview, secondary studies were collected using a systematic review methodology. The methodology included a predefined protocol, searches in multiple databases and other sources, structured screening, data extraction and coding. Reviews which were claimed to be systematic reviews or meta-analyses of literature relevant to reducing carbon footprint of the built environment or its co-benefits were deemed eligible for inclusion. The quality of the included reviews was assessed using an established tool for apprising systematic reviews of literature in the medical sciences. Key bibliographic, methodological and content details of the reviews were also extracted and coded. The resulting database contains 131 reviews published between 2001 and early 2018. The database is available via a dedicated website which includes interactive visualizations and filtering tools. The included high-level evidence is framed within the context of low carbon living and its co-benefits (e.g., health and well-being), although it is not an exhaustive database of all systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the built environment and sustainability sectors. However, due to the dynamic nature of the database, it can be easily expanded to host a broader range of evidence. In its current form, the interactive map and database can help discovery of secondary evidence for decision-making and research use, supporting transition to low carbon future.