urban renewal

See more synonyms for urban renewal on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

Origin of urban renewal

First recorded in 1950–55

Also called urban redevelopment.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for urban renewal

rehabilitation, renovation, refurbishment

Examples from the Web for urban renewal

Contemporary Examples of urban renewal

The Haussmann urban-renewal project demolished old neighborhoods.
Dreaming of Paris
Philip Gefter
January 28, 2010

British Dictionary definitions for urban renewal

urban renewal

noun

the process of redeveloping dilapidated or no longer functional urban areas

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

urban renewal in Culture

urban renewal

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

Note

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.

urban renewal

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.