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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Issues of urban renewal, the value of public art, the difficulty of being married to an obsessive artist and lots more run through Workman’s film. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2025 That was the goal of the CHA’s Plan for Transformation, an ambitious urban renewal project aimed at erasing the dire conditions of developments like Cabrini-Green and the Robert Taylor Homes in favor of a fresh new vision of public housing. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2025 Wall text tells us that these jobs were part of the city’s vast urban renewal program that displaced Black residents; the doors were repurposed as walls around construction sites. Jeremy Lybarger, ARTnews.com, 26 Mar. 2025 Later, this area was targeted by urban planning initiatives, including freeway construction and urban renewal in the 1950s and 1960s. Kendra D. Boyd, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for urban renewal

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of urban renewal was in 1938

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Cite this Entry

“Urban renewal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urban%20renewal. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

urban renewal

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

More from Merriam-Webster on urban renewal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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