Purpose: This study intends to analyze the trend of walkability research over two years (2021–2022) in several aspects, including the research problem, gap and aim underlying walkability issues, research setting, the scale of analysis, the type of data, the data collection tool, the analysis method and contribution.Design/methodology/approach: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) is employed to conduct a systematic literature review from three leading databases including Web of Science (WoS), Scopus and Sage.Findings: From the review, it can be concluded that the research focuses on two aspects, namely, the built environment and people. The studies in this field are conducted at different scales of the built environment, from macroscale to microscale, including region, city, neighborhood and street-level studies that are conducted around the world including Asia, Europe and America which receive high attention from researchers. Meanwhile, the study of walkability in Australia and Africa gains less attention. It is revealed that there are four factors of walkability including land use and accessibility for macroscale which cover region, city and neighborhood, while street network and pedestrian infrastructure and facility are mainly analyzed for street-level. Most of the studies widely utilize a quantitative approach for analyzing physical walkability factors in a measurement-based approach by using certain tools/software, and a perception-based approach by using questionnaires.Research limitations/implications: The findings can assist to keep up with the rapid pace of scientific publications and help accelerate the understanding of particular ideas in the field of walkability for the planning and design practice and policy that can be used by researchers/academia, urban designers, urban planners, architects, engineers and policymakers. Also, this study hopefully could assist further research direction for the future and could add value to a more advanced way of understanding the research on walkability.Originality/value: This research provides a robust framework for walkability trend analysis and a comprehensive understanding of the main ideas from the existing research on walkability worldwide.

Large migration from rural areas to urban areas like Kuala Lumpur has led to some implications for economic, social and cultural development. This high population has placed enormous demand on the existing housing stocks, especially for low-income groups. However, some issues arise, one of which is overheated indoor air temperature. This problem contributes to the high-energy usage that forces huge sums of money to be spent on cooling the house by using mechanical equipment. Therefore, this study focuses on thermal comfort in social housing, and incorporates traditional values into its design to achieve a certain measurement of natural ventilation in a house. From the study, the carbon emission and energy consumption for an air-conditioned house is 67%, 66% higher than a naturally ventilated house. Therefore, this research has come up with a new typology design, which has a large exposed wall area and full-length openings on the opposite walls to increase cross ventilation. At the end of this research, the measurement of thermal comfort for a naturally ventilated building called ‘Air House’ has been identified.

The pressure to provide social housing in a fast and economic way, as well as outdated regulations, constrain the design of these buildings, having serious implications for the comfort of occupants and the environment. This becomes more critical in hot-humid climates, such as Malaysia, with uniformly high temperature and humidity and low wind speeds. In its capital, Kuala Lumpur, an extensive program of construction for high-rise social housing is being carried out, however, shortly after the flats are occupied, or as soon as they can afford it, the residents fit wall mounted air conditioning units. This research started by looking at Malay vernacular architecture and the traditional strategies for ventilation and cooling. After a review of current building regulations and green tools employed in the country, two campaigns of fieldwork were carried out to assess the actual indoor and outdoor thermal and air quality conditions in the buildings, which were found to be inadequate for both the local regulations and international recommendations. The fieldwork also allowed the identification of the critical design issues to address. A ventilation and filtering ceiling system has been identified as one of the possible solutions for the current situation and has been tested through physical and computer models. The system improves comfort by reducing the air temperature, humidity, and amount of airborne particles and gases, as well as constantly providing an adequate airflow rate. It is the first attempt to develop what we have named the ‘airhouse’ standard for tropical countries.

Numerous studies have discovered that elevated indoor air pollutant levels in kindergarten possess a negative impact with respect to learning performance which raises respiratory risk complications. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive information on indoor air in kindergarten worldwide. This study systematically reviews influencing factors of indoor air pollution (IAP) in kindergartens. This paper reviewed articles from Web of Science and Scopus, between year 2000 and 2022 and chose 41 articles. This study adapted the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method to perform a Systematic Literature Review (SLR). The factors influencing IAP are grouped into three categories such as outdoor source factors, built environment factors, and occupant related factors. The carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations were greater than 1,000 ppm in classrooms and mainly influenced by ventilation mode, occupant density, and physical activity. Particles (PM10, PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO) had the highest concentration levels when there was activity involving cooking besides introduction from outdoors through natural ventilation. In order to optimise the well-being of children, future kindergarten buildings should be designed or retrofitted with a holistic approach. Therefore, the potential of architectural design for children’s spaces in mitigating IAP is a promising initial step.

Buildings account for a substantial share of global energy consumption, much of which is associated with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems for indoor climate control. Passive strategies rooted in historical architectural typologies, such as courtyard buildings, offer potential to enhance energy efficiency and indoor comfort. This Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-guided systematic review analyzed 83 peer-reviewed studies published between January 2014 and September 2025. Using thematic content analysis, we synthesized evidence on how key configuration parameters (orientation, aspect ratio, height-to-depth ratio, window-to-wall ratio, and length-to-width ratio) affect three performance domains—thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and daylight performance—across major climate zones (tropical, hot-arid, temperate, and continental). The literature is concentrated in hot-arid and temperate climates, whereas tropical and continental zones remain comparatively underexplored. Orientation and aspect ratio were the most frequently investigated parameters, and simulation-based methods predominated. The review also identifies critical gaps in theoretical grounding, methodological standardization, and empirical diversity. Most of the studies show limited interdisciplinary integration, minimal consideration of occupant/population differences, and restricted real-world applicability, particularly for public and institutional buildings. By consolidating global evidence, this review further proposes a performance-oriented framework to interpret and advance Chinese courtyard architecture, including siheyuan, sanheyuan, and tulou, across diverse climatic and urban–rural contexts. These findings highlight priorities for China-focused research, including multi-objective performance assessment, empirical validation, and climate-sensitive design strategies. Overall, the review provides actionable insights for architects, urban designers, and policymakers seeking to advance climate-adaptive and context-responsive architectural practice.