From philosophical plateaus to analytical toolboxes: A systematic review of the methodological evolution of assemblage theory in urban research

Abstract

This study examines the theoretical trajectory, methodological openings, and conceptual patterns of assemblage theory in 21st-century urban research. Moving beyond structuralist limitations in explaining urban complexity, the research evaluates assemblage's capacity to conceptualize the city as a relational process of becoming rather than a static object. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted in Web of Science and Scopus databases in accordance with PRISMA 2020 standards; following a rigorous screening, 33 core articles were included. The research employs bibliometric mapping via VOSviewer, synthesized with a qualitative thematic synthesis to decode the field's intellectual structure. Results indicate that the literature is organized through a horizontal and relational distribution of multiple theoretical intensities rather than a single center. The thematic synthesis reveals four primary clusters: Relational urbanism and the ontology of becoming, urban spatial politics and power struggles, ethical and methodological transformation in planning, and affective micro-practices. These clusters function as interconnected multiplicities with fluid boundaries, indicating that assemblage has evolved from philosophical abstraction into a functional methodological toolbox equipped with techniques such as tracing, mapping, and case-study analysis. The study concludes that assemblage is a relational reading practice offering a new research opening where structuralist readings falter. However, a strategic gap is identified regarding the concept of "desire," which remains overshadowed by "affect" in empirical studies. This highlights that the field maintains a theoretically open structure conducive to further ethical, political, and methodological deepening. Cite this article as: Sayi, O., & Kaymaz, S. (2026). From philosophical plateaus to analytical toolboxes: A systematic review of the methodological evolution of assemblage theory in urban research. Megaron, 21(2):212–227.