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

See Examples For:

urban renewal

But many residents already displaced as part of Hanoi's urban renewal drive complain they were paid below-market rates for their homes.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

Lady Bird Johnson launched a series of beautification and urban renewal projects in Washington, a visual taste of the Great Society her husband hoped to bring about nationwide.

From Slate ● May 18, 2026

When urban renewal bulldozed those communities, the benefits vanished.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

By the 1950s, the nation was entering an era of urban renewal and slum clearance subsidized by the federal government.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2025

The influx of federal urban renewal money was supposed to be a coup for Durham’s poor.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson