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Sociology vocabulary · Urbanisation and Community

Suburbanisation

Meaning in sociology, with examples

/səˌbɜːbənaɪˈzeɪʃən/nounAdvanced term

In sociology, suburbanisation means: The movement of people, housing and businesses from city centres to the outer areas around a city, creating large residential suburbs.

In Turkish: banliyöleşme, kent çeperine yayılma

How it is used

Strongly linked with car ownership and post-war housing in the United States and Europe. Sociologists study its effects on commuting, community life, segregation and the environment. In Turkey, the growth of gated housing estates on city edges is a related trend.

Example sentences

  1. Suburbanisation after 1945 changed family life in many American cities.

  2. Suburbanisation increased commuting times for workers who could not afford housing in the centre.

Common collocations

  • post-war suburbanisation
  • suburban growth
  • urban sprawl
  • suburban lifestyle
  • urbanisationThe process by which a growing share of a country's population comes to live in towns and cities, together with the social changes this brings.
  • segregationThe separation of social groups, by law or in practice, so that they live, study or work in different places, such as separate neighbourhoods or schools.
  • gentrificationThe process by which wealthier residents and businesses move into a lower-income urban area, raising property prices and often displacing the original residents.
  • communityA group of people who share a place, an identity or common interests and feel a sense of belonging and connection to one another.

More terms: Urbanisation and Community

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