What does suburbanizing mean?
Suburbanizing is the present participle of the verb meaning to become suburban or to make an area suburban. It commonly describes a city, district, or region that is expanding outward through residential development, particularly where farmland, woodland, or formerly independent settlements are converted into low-density suburbs. The word can also have a causative use, referring to development that changes an area’s suburban character. In discussion of land use, urban planning, demography, and community change, suburbanizing often draws attention to the spread of housing and infrastructure beyond a city’s traditional core. Although the process can include commercial amenities and commuter links, its defining feature is the emergence of a suburban pattern of settlement rather than growth within an already dense urban centre.
To become suburban in character, especially through the spread of low-density residential development.
"Small towns throughout the county are suburbanizing as commuters build farther from the city."
Often used to describe outward expansion from an urban centre and the resulting transformation of rural or formerly independent communities.
To convert an area into a suburb or make it suburban in character.
"The new transit corridor has suburbanized several formerly agricultural villages."
This causative sense is less common but occurs in contexts such as planning, development, and environmental discussion.
A city can suburbanize without shrinking: its edge spreads outward while its core remains.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of suburbanizing
The word is formed from “suburban” and the suffix “-ize,” meaning to make or become. “Suburban” comes through French from Latin suburbanus, a derivative of suburbium, “outlying district,” which was based on sub- “under” and urbs “city.” Its close relatives include “suburb,” “suburbia,” and the more broadly related “urban.”
How suburbanizing is actually used
The term is chiefly descriptive and often carries a sociological or planning focus. It is commonly used for areas undergoing low-density residential expansion and may imply the loss of farmland or a less distinctly urban landscape.
Easily confused with suburbanizing
Suburbanizing describes development outward into low-density suburbs, whereas urbanizing describes the growth or redevelopment of an urban area.