Urban carrying capacity (UCC) concept is an important barometer and yardstick of sustainable urban development. There are a substantial number of studies dedicated to the broadest sense of the carrying capacity concept, and a plethora of underlying theories and evaluation methods have been reported. However, UCC, i.e. study at the urban setting, is a largely different research theme due to the varied meanings, principles, emphasis, and implications. Studies focused on UCC are still in its nascent period, existing in a limited volume of literature, a loosely knitted theoretical basis, with a lack of credible assessment methods and limited applications. Against this background, this research is aimed at analyzing and summarizing related studies on UCC. Through an extensive literature review,