redevelopment

redevelopment — noun

1. the process in which old buildings and roads in a part of a city are removed and

1.nounC1
Definition

the process in which old buildings and roads in a part of a city are removed and new ones are put up in their place, often as part of a larger plan to improve the area

Example

The old factory district on the south side is going through major redevelopment.

uncountable noun used with 'going through'

The city council approved a redevelopment plan for the entire waterfront area.

collocation: redevelopment plan

Common collocations
  • urban redevelopment
  • redevelopment plan
  • redevelopment project
  • redevelopment area
  • redevelopment zone
  • redevelopment agency
  • redevelopment authority
  • undergo redevelopment
  • propose redevelopment
  • fund redevelopment
Synonyms
  • urban renewal

    broader concept that includes government policy and social programs alongside physical rebuilding

  • regeneration

    includes economic and community improvement, not just physical reconstruction

  • revitalization

    emphasizes bringing new economic and social life to an area

  • renovation

    typically applies to individual buildings rather than whole districts

Antonyms
  • neglect

    failure to care for or improve an area, leading to decay

  • decay

    the gradual deterioration that redevelopment aims to reverse

Grammar Patterns

the redevelopment of [place]

[place] + is going through redevelopment

Usage Note

Commonly used as an uncountable noun. Frequently appears in compound nouns such as 'redevelopment plan', 'redevelopment project', or 'redevelopment area'. Often preceded by 'urban' (urban redevelopment).

Common Mistakes

The city started a redevelopment of the park.
The city started redeveloping the park.
For a single site or small area, the verb 'redevelop' is more natural than the noun 'redevelopment', which typically refers to larger-scale area renewal.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all four words describe improvement to the built environment, 'redevelopment' focuses specifically on physical demolition and rebuilding of structures within a district. 'Urban renewal' is a broader government-led policy that may include social programs alongside physical rebuilding. 'Regeneration' goes further to include economic and community improvement, such as job creation. 'Revitalization' emphasizes bringing new activity and life to an area through cultural or commercial change. 'Renovation' is narrower, typically applied to fixing up a single building rather than a whole area. For example: 'The city's redevelopment plan replaced all the warehouses with apartment buildings.' 'The regeneration project included job training for local residents.' 'The old market's revitalization came through new cafes and shops.'

urban renewalregeneration ↗revitalizationrenovation ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • undergo redevelopment
  • propose redevelopment
  • fund redevelopment
  • go through redevelopment
  • be slated for redevelopment

Prepositions

Etymology

Old FrenchEnglish

Formed from the prefix 're-' (meaning 'again') and 'development'. 'Develop' came into English from Old French 'desveloper', meaning 'to unwrap or unfold'. The modern sense of developing land for building emerged in the 18th century, and 'redevelopment' became common in the mid-20th century with large-scale post-war urban planning projects.