urban renewal

noun

1. the rehabilitation of city areas by renovating or replacing dilapidated buildings with new housing, public buildings, parks, roadways, industrial areas, etc., often in accordance with comprehensive plans.

urban renewal

noun

1. the process of redeveloping dilapidated or no longer functional urban areas

urban renewal

¹

1. Government-sponsored destruction of slum housing with a view to the construction of new housing.

urban renewal

²

1. Programs designed to clear, rebuild, and redevelop urban slums. Critics contend that although they bulldoze slums, urban renewal programs often have led to their replacement by office buildings and by apartment houses for the well-to-do.

Large-scale urban renewal was engaged in during the 1960s and 1970s, after the departure of the rich and the middle class for America's suburbs had left many United States cities in decay and disrepair.

Word History and Origins

Origin of urban renewal¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

By the 1950s, the nation was entering an era of urban renewal and slum clearance subsidized by the federal government.

From Los Angeles Times

“The quintessential historic preservation threat of the 20th century was symbolized by the bulldozer demolishing individual historic structures or communities for urban renewal,” Bernstein said.

From Los Angeles Times

By many accounts, they helped spark an urban renewal.

From Los Angeles Times

As one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, it has shape-shifted over the last 140 years under the forces of urban renewal and gentrification, as well as the unjust wartime incarceration of its residents.

From Los Angeles Times

Downtown boosters promoted an urban renewal project that would have demolished most of the Market.

From Seattle Times