Urbanization
Etymology
From Latin “urbanus” (“of the city”), from “urbs” (“city”). The same root gives us “urbane,” meaning polished and sophisticated — a trace of the old assumption that city life refines people. Large-scale urbanization accelerated dramatically with the Industrial Revolution.
noun · /ur-buh-nih-ZAY-shun/
The shift of populations from countryside to cities and the growth of urban life that comes with it.
What it names
The demographic tide behind the modern world — the reason most of humanity now lives packed into cities rather than spread across farms.
Example
Rapid urbanization strained the city’s water and transit long before planners caught up.
Related idea
Distinguish it from industrialization, its frequent driver; factories pulled workers into cities, but urbanization names the shift in where people live rather than what they produce.