urban renewal

American  

noun

1. the rehabilitation of city areas by renovating or replacing dilapidated buildings with new housing, public buildings, parks, roadways, industrial areas, etc., often in accordance with comprehensive plans.

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urban renewal British  

noun

1. the process of redeveloping dilapidated or no longer functional urban areas

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urban renewal ¹ Cultural  

1. Government-sponsored destruction of slum housing with a view to the construction of new housing.

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urban renewal ² Cultural  

1. Programs designed to clear, rebuild, and redevelop urban slums. Critics contend that although they bulldoze slums, urban renewal programs often have led to their replacement by office buildings and by apartment houses for the well-to-do.

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Large-scale urban renewal was engaged in during the 1960s and 1970s, after the departure of the rich and the middle class for America's suburbs had left many United States cities in decay and disrepair.

Etymology

Origin of urban renewal

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Lagos state officials say the demolition was necessary for safety and urban renewal reasons.

From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026

When urban renewal bulldozed those communities, the benefits vanished.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

New Haven was a good place to study urban history: Its midcentury leaders strived to make it a “model city,” and deployed more per capita urban renewal money than in any city in the country.

From Slate • Sep. 21, 2025

Downtown boosters promoted an urban renewal project that would have demolished most of the Market.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2024

Entire neighborhoods disappeared into the insatiable maw of urban renewal, displacing residents into an already tight housing market.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson