Abstract: Urban metabolism is a basic theory for coping with global environmental problems, which is coherent with the aims of national environmental management. This paper analyzed the concept of urban metabolism, and pointed out the meaning for urban metabolism in physical space entities; reviewed the current methods for urban metabolism and its merits and shortages; analyzed the system boundaries, connotation, and methodologies; and summarized the advances on urban metabolism practices in physical space entities. At last, we made conclusions that there were shortages, including conception system, basic theory system, and interdisciplinary integrated theory system in current urban metabolism research, and the current cases studied in urban metabolism were limited and not suitable to the harmony development between society, economy, and environment. In the future, we need to strengthen comparison between different case studies from different countries, develop the prior modes of typical urban metabolism research, identify the mechanism for urban ecosystem, and strengthen the spatial decision support system of environmental management taking urban spatial entity spaces as units.