urbanisation

    nounBand 8formal

    UKˌɜːbənaɪˈzeɪʃn
    USˌɜːrbənəˈzeɪʃən

    The increasing movement of people from rural areas into towns and cities.

    Green farmland in the foreground giving way to a fast-growing city of cranes and new towers on the horizon
    Fields turning into city: urbanisation is people moving from the countryside into towns.

    Rapid urbanisation has strained public services.

    Urbanisation is changing traditional ways of life.

    Remember it

    Urbanisation relates to Latin urbs, meaning “city.”

    Goes with

    Words that go with urbanisation: rapid urbanisation; the pace of urbanisation; the process of urbanisation.

    Similar and opposite

    Similar
    city growth
    Opposite
    rural depopulation

    Word family

    The urbanisation family: urbanisation (noun), urbanise (verb), urbanised (adjective), urban (adjective).

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