Mapping the interaction between research and education fields of sustainability in architecture: A retrospective timeline

Research communities produce and disseminate knowledge that relies on previous research output. Yet, as information and communication technologies advance, the amount of research output awaiting researchers has become massive. These outputs have been creating a network among academic literature. Decoding the meanings and relationships of these networks has become increasingly difficult. This study proposes a retrospective methodology for creating a research field timeline that unfolds the network of the related field based on bibliometric data and uses this timeline as a basis for discussion in a pictorial form. The aim is to purify the huge amount of bibliometric data as a result of the data-driven and ever-growing nature of the contemporary era and to utilize information visualization to produce readily perceptible visuals. Subsequently, this study utilizes the proposed methodology on a case study related to sustainable architecture and architectural education. The sustainability paradigm has gained paramount significance since the introduction of the concept in the United Nations Brundtland Commission's Report (1987). Along its journey, the concept of sustainability has contextually evolved and gained numerous definitions parallel to the remarkable increase in scientific research. Thus, the progressive academic research on sustainability has impacted both the education and practice fields of architecture. This study focuses on the evolution of the research on sustainability in architecture and its reflections on architectural education through bibliometric data in a historical context. So, the study highlights both the research and education fields of sustainability in architecture. To this end, the visualization of the bibliometric data analyses was utilized to stimulate the readers' involvement. The study employs a variety of bibliometric data visualization software (VOSviewer, CiteSpace), network visualization software (Gephi), and data visualization software (Tableau). This study derives inputs from bibliometric analyses to create two multilayered timelines on the topics. The timelines illustrate the trends, patterns, and pivotal points of the related research fields by juxtaposing the milestone events. The bibliometric analysis also depicts the leading scholars, influential publications, and most intriguing research topics.