Suburbanisation - GCSE Geography Definition

What is suburbanisation in geography?

In GCSE Geography, suburbanisation is about the outward movement of people and businesses from city centres. This leads to low-density neighbourhoods with detached family homes, a reliance on cars, and expansive land use patterns. This process turns once rural areas into sprawling peripheral communities.

Suburbanisation comes in various forms:

• Residential suburbanisation: people move to the suburbs for housing.

• Commercial suburbanisation: business districts and shopping centres pop up in the suburbs.

• Industrial suburbanisation: factories and industrial zones pop up outside city centres.

Suburbanisation leads to:

• Rising land prices as demand spikes at the city's edge.

• More commuting means more congestion and pollution.

• Suburbanisation can lead to urban decay, where low-income residents remain in the city and buildings are left empty to deteriorate.