Word
urbanization
Phoneticsur·ban·iza·tion
/ˌɝbənəˈzeɪʃən/
UK spelling · urbanisation
Definition
n. the process of people moving from rural areas to cities, making cities grow larger.
n. the physical and demographic growth of urban areas as a result of rural-to-urban migration and industrial development.
Examples
“Rapid urbanization is changing the landscape of the country.”
“The government is struggling to provide enough housing and transport to keep up with the pace of urbanization.”
“While urbanization often drives economic growth and innovation, it also presents significant challenges regarding infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and the preservation of social cohesion in densely populated areas.”
Examples
simple
“Rapid urbanization is changing the landscape of the country.”
contextual
“The government is struggling to provide enough housing and transport to keep up with the pace of urbanization.”
complex
“While urbanization often drives economic growth and innovation, it also presents significant challenges regarding infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and the preservation of social cohesion in densely populated areas.”
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the general process; countable when referring to specific instances or regional examples.
Teaching tip
Often discussed alongside industrialization and environmental impact in academic contexts.
Real-World Examples
“Where they could once hop and amble freely, urbanization is diminishing amphibians' habitats.” “Research in the Mandrak lab is looking at what round goby eat, how they compete with native species, whether urbanization helps them move upstream and why they're able to successfully colonize new freshwater systems.” Etymology
From urbanize + -ation.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/urbanization