SUSTAINABLE CITIES: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF GLOBAL SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION AND ITS EPISTEMIC ASYMMETRIES CIDADES SUSTENTÁVEIS: REVISÃO CRÍTICA DA PRODUÇÃO CIENTÍFICA GLOBAL E DE SUAS ASSIMETRIAS EPISTÊMICAS CIUDADES SOSTENIBLES: REVISIÓN CRÍTICA DE LA PRODUCCIÓN CIENTÍFICA GLOBAL Y SUS ASIMETRÍAS EPISTÉMICAS

This article presents a critical review of scientific literature on sustainable cities published between 2015 and 2025 in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Based on a corpus of 5,155 articles, a mixed-method approach¿combining bibliometric, thematic, and relational analysis- is applied to examine dominant topics, collaboration patterns, epistemological gaps, and emerging concepts. The results reveal a research field highly concentrated in the Global North, marked by a prevalence of technical-strategic approaches and low levels of effective international collaboration. At the same time, innovative lines of research are identified, opening the way for a more critical, pluralized, and situated agenda on urban sustainability. © 2025, Universidad del Bio Bio. All rights reserved.

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