Systemic modeling of environmental impacts in construction: a systematic review

The​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ construction industry is one of the major contributors to environmental degradation, social disruption, and economic fluctuations. To mitigate these challenges, the environmental, social, and economic aspects need to be analyzed in an integrated manner, although there is limited research that considers the systemic nature of sustainability challenges. Conventional Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) practices also typically consider environmental impacts as a central hub and discrete checklist items, while economic and social dimensions are not appropriately addressed. This paper seeks to fill these gaps by combining a systematic literature review (SLR) with a systems-thinking application focused on the relations between different domains of local construction issues, one of the least explored environmental aspects. This paper presents a mixed-method systematic review of 182 articles between 2010 and 2025 on integrated EIA and sustainability in the construction sector. These articles are identified in Scopus and analyzed using VOSviewer to examine keyword co-occurrence, publication sources, and author co-citation patterns. The qualitative synthesis then examines dominant and underrepresented environmental aspects and the evolution of methodological approaches. Road construction has a multitude of impacts on its host environment, and the effects of these challenges vary according to the areas it crosses. The study proposes causal diagrams of local impact networks for road projects, providing a structured basis for more integrated EIA practice and informed decision-making.