What does ruralization mean?
Ruralization is the process by which population, employment, investment, or social life shifts from cities and other urban centers toward rural areas. It can describe migration by individuals or families, the decentralization of workplaces, or broader changes in the economic structure of a region. The term also has a policy dimension, referring to efforts that favor countryside communities over urban ones. Because it identifies a direction of change, it is closely associated with urbanization, its conceptual opposite, although the two processes can occur at the same time in different places. In discussion of remote work, ruralization often means that professional opportunities previously concentrated in cities become available to people living in smaller communities or the countryside. The word is most common in academic, demographic, and economic writing rather than everyday conversation.
nounThe process of becoming rural or of shifting population, employment, or economic activity from urban areas to the countryside. It may also describe policies or trends that favor rural communities and ways of life.
- The movement of people, work, or economic activity from urban areas into rural communities.
- A social, economic, or political trend that causes a place or society to become more rural in character.
"Remote-work opportunities have contributed to the ruralization of parts of the American countryside."
"The decline of nearby factories accelerated the ruralization of the district."
"The study examines the ruralization of employment through remote and location-independent work."
Usually singular because it denotes a process or broad trend; the plural is used when separate instances or patterns are discussed.
"The authors compare the ruralizations of different regions during the twentieth century."
Ruralization reverses the familiar story of urbanization: the centre of gravity shifts from the city to the countryside.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ruralization come from?
Ruralization was formed in the 19th century from rural plus the suffix -ization, a combination meaning “the process of making” or “the process of becoming.” Rural comes from Latin rus, meaning “countryside,” through the Latin adjective ruris and the related form rusticus. The same broad Latin ancestry can also be seen in words such as ruralize, rurality, and rusticity.
Related word forms
How ruralization is actually used
This is a relatively uncommon academic and journalistic term. It is usually used for a measurable social or economic shift and is more specific than the general idea of moving to the countryside.