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

Derived 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

Urbanization, as both a cause and consequence of economic development, is as insistent a natural force as flowing water.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

Urbanization poses dangers for local tarantulas during mating season, according to Monjaraz Ruedas.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2025

Urbanization in Africa is accelerating quickly, showing no signs of slowing down.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2024

Urbanization is the main threat to the tortoises, but timberland can be managed in a way that leaves room for them.

From Scientific American • Oct. 20, 2023

Urbanization is, in more concrete terms, the covering of everything with concrete.

From Down with the Cities by Nakashima, Tadashi