urbanization

American  

[ur-buh-nuh-zay-shuhn] / ˌɜr bə nəˈzeɪ ʃən /

especially British, urbanisation

noun

• urbanizations
  plural

1. 

   the act or fact of urbanizing, or taking on the characteristics of a city.

   Urbanization has led to more air pollution and increasing childhood asthma.

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urbanization Cultural  

1. The process by which cities grow or by which societies become more urban.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overurbanization
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• urbanizations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of urbanization

urbaniz(e) + -ation

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Explanation

If a skyscraper is blocking the view of farmland you once had from your house window, urbanization is happening. Urbanization is a word for becoming more like a city. When populations of people grow, the population of a place may spill over from city to nearby areas. This is called urbanization. Maybe tall apartment buildings spring up on what had been the outskirts of town, bringing more people there to live and work. Urbanization can also apply to how people live. For example, if they stop driving their cars and instead rely on public transportation, as most people in cities do, that's urbanization.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

urbanization

A growing middle class and urbanization are creating attractive opportunities for investors to seek a share of the region’s most promising hospital and specialty-care assets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

By the turn of the 20th century, the combined trends of industrialization and urbanization created a new class of American, the consumer.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

Each morning we’d set out to explore this corner of the country, one part of what is sometimes called La España Profunda, or Deep Spain, for the way it has resisted urbanization.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

The Nice – Côte d’Azur metropolitan area is vulnerable for a number of reasons: dense urbanization, strong tourist appeal, and very busy beaches.

From Science Daily ● May 21, 2026

Or perhaps a complete urbanization, or a completely caste-ridden society, or complete anarchy, is the answer.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

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