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

When urban renewal bulldozed those communities, the benefits vanished.

From The Wall Street Journal

She’ll sublimate her own romantic heartache in urban renewal and other good works.

From Los Angeles Times

Then, roughly 15,000 units of single-room occupancy hotels on Skid Row were demolished as part of a national “urban renewal” movement, severely restricting shelter options for the poorest of the poor.

From Los Angeles Times

“The quintessential historic preservation threat of the 20th century was symbolized by the bulldozer demolishing individual historic structures or communities for urban renewal,” Bernstein said.

From Los Angeles Times

By many accounts, they helped spark an urban renewal.

From Los Angeles Times