urban renewal

noun

: a construction program to replace or restore substandard buildings in an urban area

Examples of urban renewal in a Sentence

an area undergoing urban renewal

Recent Examples on the Web

But in Atlanta, the costs fell heavily on communities that had already spent generations navigating segregation, urban renewal, highway construction, and discriminatory housing policies. — Jeffrey Bennett, Time, 17 July 2026

The British hotel chain Malmaison contrived the United Kingdom’s first prison-into-hotel conversion as part of an urban renewal project at Oxford Castle, situated between Oxford’s train station and shopping district. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 July 2026

It was destroyed in the name of urban renewal and has borne the brunt of government interference and disinvestment. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2026

Not only were the interiors transformed by designer Bill Rooney with a lightness and sophistication that invited contemporary travelers, but the building also served as a broader symbol of adaptive reuse and a catalyst for urban renewal. — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for urban renewal

• intertextual
• psychosexual
• accrual
• nonfuel
• refuel
• biofuel
• contextual
• nonrenewal
• nonsexual
• unusual
• cruel
• dual

Kids Definition

urban renewal

noun

: a construction program for replacing or restoring old or run-down buildings in an urban area