urbanization

noun

ur·ban·i·za·tion | \ ˌər-bə-nə-ˈzā-shən

Definition of urbanization

: the quality or state of being urbanized or the process of becoming urbanized

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about urbanization

Keep scrolling for more

Did You Know?

The word urbanization started appearing in print way back in the 1880s, which says something about the growth of American cities. The expansion of Los Angeles was an early example of uncontrolled urbanization. Urbanization is often seen as a negative trend, with bad effects on quality of life and the environment. But apartments require much less heat than houses, and commuting by mass transit rather than cars can reduce pollution and energy use, and cities offer improved opportunities for jobs (and often for education and housing as well), so city growth doesn't make everyone unhappy.

Examples of urbanization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And the re-urbanization of downtown Denver has only added to demand. — Andrew Kenney, The Denver Post, "Denver’s plan for bicycles is moving faster, but it could still take 18 years," 2 Aug. 2019 Dozens of condominiums and other projects were planned in Tempe amid a hot housing market and in anticipation of the urbanization that would accompany light rail's opening in 2008. — Robert Anglen, azcentral, "Tempe development deal loaded with perks. Critics ask why," 20 Apr. 2017 Agriculture and urbanization were important drivers of plant extinctions in both hot- and coldspots, confirming the general belief that habitat destruction is the primary cause of most extinctions. — Commentary, Quartz Africa, "Plants are going extinct up to 350 times faster than the historical norm," 24 Aug. 2019 The changes come as hundreds of thousands of commercial citrus acres in Florida have disappeared with greening and urbanization. — Austin Fuller, orlandosentinel.com, "As Florida citrus fades, farmers diversify with a store, a maze and new crops," 16 Aug. 2019 Meanwhile Europe, the first continent to industrialize, was the first to experience the decline in birthrates associated with urbanization and affluence. — Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, "Incredible Shrinking Europe," 11 Feb. 2019 The uptick in tiger population is good news for India, which has increasingly grappled with human-wildlife conflict amid rapid urbanization. — Niha Masih, Washington Post, "India’s tiger population doubles in a dozen years, despite growing human-animal conflict," 29 July 2019 America has undergone or is undergoing several trends that bring nationalist passions to the surface of politics: rapid urbanization, mass immigration, and some social dislocation that is related to economic globalization. — Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, "Divided We Fall," 16 July 2019 In social terms, urbanization has dissolved much day-to-day discrimination. — Sadanand Dhume, WSJ, "India’s Ethnic Quotas Are a Cautionary Tale," 24 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'urbanization.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for urbanization

urbanization

noun

English Language Learners Definition of urbanization

: the process by which towns and cities are formed and become larger as more and more people begin living and working in central areas

See the full definition for urbanization in the English Language Learners Dictionary

urbanization

Definition of urbanization

Did You Know?

Examples of urbanization in a Sentence

First Known Use of urbanization

English Language Learners Definition of urbanization

WORD OF THE DAY