urbanization

noun

ur·ban·i·za·tion ˌər-bə-nə-ˈzā-shən

: the quality or state of being urbanized or the process of becoming urbanized

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The word urbanization started appearing in print way back in the 1880s, which says something about the growth of American cities. The expansion of Los Angeles was an early example of uncontrolled urbanization. Urbanization is often seen as a negative trend, with bad effects on quality of life and the environment. But apartments require much less heat than houses, and commuting by mass transit rather than cars can reduce pollution and energy use, and cities offer improved opportunities for jobs (and often for education and housing as well), so city growth doesn't make everyone unhappy.

Examples of urbanization in a Sentence

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The sensors haven't been moved and are not subject to urbanization effects, so the data does not require adjustment to account for these changes over time. —

Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024 With population expansion and urbanization driving development in new areas, insurers need to account for changes in landscape and geography when assessing regional risks. —

Alex Zukerman, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024 The country has a high urbanization rate, with about 89.4% of the population residing in urban areas, and the median age is 28.6 years, indicating a relatively young population. —

Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024 Other primary threats include human population growth and fragmentation and degradation caused by urbanization, officials said. —

Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for urbanization