Urbanization.

Urbanization is the emergence of cities as settled living spaces for an increasing number of people, generally migrating from rural locales. The process of becoming urbanized entails not only the physical movement of the population and the construction of cities but also the rise of a distinctive society, culture, and economy. Significantly, Chicago sociologist Louis Wirth (1897–1952), one of the first observers and analysts of urban space, entitled his pioneering essay on the topic “Urbanism as a Way of Life” (1938).