Comprehensive Performance of Green Infrastructure through a Life-Cycle Perspective: A Review

Mo Wang, Xu Zhong, Chuanhao Sun, Tong Chen, Jin Su () and Jianjun Li ()
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Mo Wang: College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Xu Zhong: College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Chuanhao Sun: College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Tong Chen: College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Jin Su: Faculty of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat 86400, Johor, Malaysia
Jianjun Li: College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-19

Abstract: Climate change represents a paramount challenge for humanity in the 21st century. Green infrastructure (GI), due to its myriad environmental and societal benefits, has emerged as an essential natural life support system and a pivotal strategy to combat climate change-induced risks. Consequently, GI has garnered considerable global interest. As of now, comprehensive and systematic environmental impact assessments of GI are underway worldwide. Nonetheless, there remains a conspicuous scarcity of life-cycle approaches to delineate the evolutionary trajectory of this domain. Employing three bibliometric software tools—the R language “Bibliometrix” package (version 4.0.1), CiteSpace (version 6.2.R2 Basic), and “VOSviewer” (version 1.6.18)—this study scrutinizes the progression of the GI paradigm until 2022. An exhaustive review of 1124 documents published on the Web of Science between 1995 and 2022 facilitates an overarching evaluation of GI, encompassing environmental, economic, and social facets from a life-cycle standpoint. The analysis results reveal that (1) the majority of current studies accentuate the economic and environmental efficacy of GI throughout its life cycle, with the social performance receiving comparatively less focus, potentially due to the difficulties in formulating a social life-cycle-assessment database; (2) contemporary research predominantly concentrates on the life-cycle carbon footprint of GI, warranting further exploration into its water and carbon footprints; and (3) multi-objective optimization emerges as a promising avenue for future GI investigations. This review thus furnishes a comprehensive understanding of the performance of GI from a life-cycle perspective.

Keywords: green infrastructure; low impact development; life cycle; bioretention; constructed wetland; green roof (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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