Housing Affordability: A Bibliometric Review

Housing affordability has become a topical issue in many developed countries in the past decade, driven by factors like the global financial crisis, income inequality, and the sharing economy. As a result, policymakers and researchers have paid increasing attention to the issue of housing affordability. This article provides a bibliometric review of the literature to capture extant scientific knowledge on housing affordability by using the PRISMA framework, analyzing highly cited housing affordability articles from 2018 to 2022 in the Web of Science database. Out of the initial 438 articles found with “housing” and “affordability” keywords, 145 met the selection criteria. Notably, most publications originate from the United States, Australia, and Malaysia. The articles frequently use words like city, market, policy, affordability, and gentrification. The thematic evolution is also moving towards exploring the demand side of the housing market, the determinants of affordable housing, cities, and housing affordability. The bibliometric analysis points to the need for more profound research in niche areas, such as obtaining evidence of urban households or emerging areas as affordable lands and focusing on community. The study highlights the evolution of trending topics and topics related to the concepts of “housing” and “affordability,” requiring future research efforts.