Urban snow and ice removal and storage: A systematic literature review

Urban Snow and Ice Removal and Storage (USIRS) is an essential and demanding component of urban management in areas experiencing harsh weather during the winter. This present study offers a systematic review of the literature in the USIRS field of study through analyzing 81 peer-reviewed academic papers listed in Scopus and Web of Science (published between 1960 and mid-2024). The pertinent research was thoroughly synthesized using content analysis by manual coding in ATLAS.ti software (to assist textual analysis), network visualization, and co-occurrence analyses (including temporal and geographical distributions). The results shed light on regional and temporal trends, links, and patterns across USIRS goals and strategies, and snow/ice reuse and deposit/dumping forms. These patterns also revealed common and not well-known connections in the literature. The findings indicate that the literature has divided USIRS goals into four categories: traffic, economic, human safety, and environmental. The most often discussed goals are connected to traffic (37%), with cost-efficiency coming in second (29%). Mechanical snow removal (41.96%) and de-icing (30.36%) are the most used USIRS strategies. While most defined snow/ice deposit or dumping forms are categorized as central (22.08%) or local (19.48%) deposits, emerging innovative practices like storing snow for cooling highlight the possibility of energy savings as the most prevalent type of snow/ice reuse outlined in literature. This study provides a beneficial resource for urban planners, academics, and policymakers by highlighting several hotspots and gaps within USIRS research. It aims to strengthen urban resilience to deal with winter difficulties and maximize the benefits of USIRS practices.