Background: The concept of "cultural landscape of the city" as an integrative framework for understanding the complex historical, cultural, social, and physical layers of cities has undergone significant theoretical developments since the early 20th century. This development has moved from a focus solely on the aesthetic and physical dimensions to the inclusion of intangible dimensions, social processes, and participatory approaches in urban governance.
Objective: This study aims to map the evolution of key theories in the field of cultural landscape of the city and explain how these concepts are integrated into urban planning paradigms.
Research Methodology: This study is a systematic review that was conducted by a structured search in the Web of Science database using keywords related to cultural landscape, urban planning, and theory evolution. Out of 1,085 initial articles, 75 articles were selected for the final analysis based on clear inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Findings: The findings show that theories of the city's cultural landscape have evolved from initial foundations emphasizing the relationship between culture and nature to multidimensional approaches, including the intangible dimension, participatory governance, and new urban visual technologies. The analysis of the historical distribution of sources indicates a significant increase in research from 2023 to 2025. Also, top journals and profiles of researchers active in this field were identified.
Conclusion: The evolution of theories of the city's cultural landscape shows a shift from a static and body-based perspective to a dynamic, multidimensional, human-centered, and integrated perspective. This evolution reveals the need to review the tools and processes of urban planning and governance for the dynamic protection of cultural landscapes in the 21st century.