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Sociology vocabulary · Urbanisation and Community

Urbanisation

Meaning in sociology, with examples

/ˌɜːbənaɪˈzeɪʃən/nounCore term

In sociology, urbanisation means: The 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.

In Turkish: kentleşme

How it is used

Used in urban sociology, development studies and demography. The level of urbanisation is measured as the percentage of people living in urban areas. It is often discussed together with industrialisation, rural-urban migration, informal housing and changes in family life.

Example sentences

  1. Rapid urbanisation in Turkey led to the growth of gecekondu neighbourhoods around big cities.

  2. As a result of global urbanisation, more than half of the world's population now lives in cities.

Common collocations

  • rapid urbanisation
  • rate of urbanisation
  • urbanisation and industrialisation
  • unplanned urbanisation
  • migrationThe movement of people from one place to another to live, either within a country or across national borders, for reasons such as work, family, education or safety.
  • industrialisationThe shift from an economy based mainly on farming and handcraft to one based on factories, machines and mass production, with deep effects on work, family and where people live.
  • suburbanisationThe movement of people, housing and businesses from city centres to the outer areas around a city, creating large residential suburbs.
  • 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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