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.

---

urbanization Cultural  

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

---

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

Asia’s education sector has become increasingly attractive to private-equity firms and strategic investors due to rapid urbanization and a fast-growing middle class that can now afford higher education for their children.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

The editorial notes that factors such as climate change, rapid urbanization, and increasing international travel are helping mosquito-borne viruses spread more widely, creating new public health challenges around the world.

From Science Daily • Oct. 10, 2025

Still, it seems that technology and urbanization are rapidly outpacing efforts to curb the myopia epidemic, with people spending more and more time inside on their devices.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2025

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

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov