urbanization

American  

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

especially British, urbanisation

noun

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

• overurbanization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of urbanization

urbaniz(e) + -ation

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

“It’s not just about the fires, but it’s about urbanization and how much our city needs to continue the work of doing testing in the water.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

The final factor is increased demand owing to data centers, increased urbanization, resurgent manufacturing and electrification of societal segments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

Their work applies population ecology theory to quantify the forces that shaped urbanization across the Classic Maya Lowlands.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2025

Scientists note that Aedes mosquitoes are expanding their range due to warmer temperatures, global trade, and increased urbanization, allowing diseases once confined to the tropics to appear in new regions.

From Science Daily • Oct. 10, 2025

You could say the majority of Americans were always geeks, until we got post-Depression urbanization and illusions of sophistication.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz