urbanisation

urbanisation — noun

1. the process by which towns and cities grow larger as people leave the countrysid

1.名詞B2
釋義

the process by which towns and cities grow larger as people leave the countryside and move into them, causing the area to change from a rural to an urban character

例句

Rapid urbanisation around Jakarta has created new jobs but also serious traffic jams.

rapid urbanisation + area

Roya's hometown was a fishing village before urbanisation made it a busy port city.

同義詞
  • urban development

    broader term that includes infrastructure, housing, and planning, not just population movement

  • urban expansion

    focuses on the physical spread of a city's built-up area rather than the social process

  • city growth

    less formal and slightly narrower — emphasises population increase rather than the transformation of rural areas

  • metropolitanisation

    specifically refers to growth of very large cities or the spread of a city's influence into surrounding regions; more specialised and less common

反義詞
  • rural depopulation

    names the parallel process of countryside population loss that often accompanies urbanisation

  • counter-urbanisation

    a later-stage movement of people from cities back to rural areas; opposite direction of flow

用法筆記

This British spelling (urbanisation) is standard in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and most Commonwealth countries. The American spelling is urbanization. Always treated as an uncountable noun — do not say 'an urbanisation' or 'urbanisations'.

常見錯誤

❌The industrialisation also caused urbanisation.
✅Industrialisation also caused urbanisation.
💡'Industrialisation' and 'urbanisation' are distinct processes; avoid treating them as interchangeable without explanation.
❌There were many urbanisations in the 20th century.
✅There was widespread urbanisation in the 20th century.
💡'Urbanisation' is uncountable; use 'a wave of urbanisation' or 'the spread of urbanisation' instead.
❌The urbanisation of the population increased.
✅The proportion of the urban population increased.
💡'Urbanisation' describes a process, not a numerical increase in people.

2. the state or degree to which a place shows the physical and social features of a

2.名詞B2
釋義

the state or degree to which a place shows the physical and social features of a city, rather than those of a rural or undeveloped area

例句

South Korea's urbanisation level is over eighty percent — among the highest in the world.

level of urbanisation

By 2060, the degree of urbanisation in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to reach sixty-five percent.

degree of urbanisation

同義詞
  • urban concentration

    focuses on the density of population in urban areas rather than the full range of urban features

  • urban character

    softer, less technical; describes the feel and appearance of an area

用法筆記

This sense measures a condition rather than describing a process. It often appears after quantifiers: 'level of', 'degree of', 'rate of', 'extent of'. The American spelling urbanization is used in US contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The urbanisation of Brazil is seventy percent.
✅The level of urbanisation in Brazil is seventy percent.
💡Do not use 'urbanisation' alone as a number; use 'the level/rate/degree of urbanisation'.
❌The urbanisation rate increased urbanisation.
✅The rate of urbanisation increased.
💡Avoid repeating the headword as both subject and object.