Satisfactory communal space in high-rise apartments helps to create a harmonious living atmosphere and enhance neighbourhood relations. This review summarises and analyses the research on the design of communal areas in high-rise apartments with consideration of five aspects: space division, universal design, security design, landscape design and decoration design. The aim is to achieve a comprehensive understanding of current design concepts relating to communal space in high-rise apartments and to identify key design considerations that are necessary for the development of sustainable high-rise apartments. The paper proceeds with three objectives: (1) to develop a comprehensive policy for communal space to support the sustainable development of high-rise apartments; (2) to identify research on the building materials that can be used to improve the environment of the communal spaces; and, (3) to identify areas that can improve the planning and management of open spaces in high-rise apartments with the help of existing information technology. Overall, this review provides some useful insights for the sustainable development of high-rise apartments in terms of shared-space design, while revealing gaps in the literature and areas for further research.