Abstract: The development of China’s resource-exhausted cities currently faces prominent spatial governance challenges. The Yellow River Basin is home to around a quarter of the country’s resource- exhausted cities, widespread issues such as inefficient land utilization, wastage of idle land resources, and imbalanced spatial layouts severely constrain regional high-quality development and spatial regeneration processes. To systematically clarify the evolutionary trajectory and core directions of relevant research, this study employs bibliometrics methods and CiteSpace visualization tools to systematically map the hotspot evolution and core thematic structure of research on existing land in China’s resource-exhausted cities. This analysis is based on 1 553 Chinese and English-language documents from the CNKI and WOS databases spanning 2005-2025. Findings reveal: ① research trajectories demonstrate a distinct shift from macro-level industrial economic transformation towards micro-level spatial renewal and redevelopment. Studies prior to 2015 predominantly focus on industrial restructuring and economic transition. Since 2015, disciplines such as land resource management, urban-rural planning, and environmental engineering have progressively dominate research paradigms, propelling studies towards refined spatial governance. ② Research hotspots primarily center on two core directions: “urban industrial transformation” and “urban stock renewal”. Recent studies further focus on refined topics such as industrial land revitalization, public space enhancement, ecological restoration, and cultural-tourism integration, highlighting a practice-oriented approach. ③ Research perspectives exhibit interdisciplinary convergence, with theories and methodologies from geography, management science, and environmental science integrating deeply——particularly evident in spatial governance and sustainable development. Future research concentrates on multi-scale spatial coordination, policy tool innovation, digital technology application, and establishes long-term governance mechanisms. This provides theoretical underpinnings and practical guidance for revitalizing existing land, spatial restructuring, and high-quality development in resource-exhausted cities.