Bibliometric Analysis of Urban Coastal Development: Strategies for Climate-Resilient Timber Housing

Abstract

Urban development in coastal areas has become increasingly important due to the climate crisis and its effects on sea level rise and extreme events, which increased the vulnerability of coastal zones. Therefore, it is important to analyze possible sustainable development techniques in urban planning and residential housing construction based on low-carbon footprint materials such as timber. These techniques should be capable of mitigating the effects of flooding and uncontrolled rises in coastal areas, as well as identifying normative and economic differences in their application in the Chilean context. For this purpose, a bibliometric analysis of 3882 articles selected from the Web of Science database between 1987 and 2022 was conducted, allowing us to identify a range of possible solutions to be developed in the study area. This includes evaluating their potential for normative application and a cost analysis of these solutions. In this regard, housing solutions such as amphibious houses and houses on stilts are two types of flood-resistant homes that are gaining popularity worldwide. Following the technical–economic analysis, it was observed that the solution on stilts can be up to 50% more cost-effective to implement in Chile. However, both options offer a promising solution to minimize the risks of coastal flooding and should be taken into account in the urban planning of coastal areas.