Urbanization Vocabulary for IELTS Writing Task 2: City Life Terms for Band 7+

The specific language you need for essays about cities, migration, and urban development

Urbanization questions appear regularly in IELTS Writing Task 2. You'll encounter topics about rural-to-urban migration, traffic congestion, housing shortages, and quality of life in cities. Most candidates produce generic essays filled with vague language: "cities have problems," "many people live in cities," "traffic is bad."

This imprecise vocabulary immediately signals Band 5-6 writing.

Examiners want to see candidates who can discuss urban issues with precision—specific terminology that demonstrates you understand these complex topics. Here's the vocabulary that creates Band 7+ essays.

Urban Geography and Structure

Urban Areas

• Urban areas — cities and towns (opposite of rural)
• Metropolitan area — large city and surrounding suburbs
• City centre/downtown — central business district
• Suburbs/suburban areas — residential areas outside city centre
• Outskirts — edges of a city
• Residential areas — zones where people live
• Commercial zones — business and shopping areas
• Industrial districts — areas with factories

Urban Development

• Urban planning — designing and organizing city development
• Urban design — physical appearance of urban areas
• Urban development — growth and building of cities
• Urban regeneration — improving rundown city areas
• Infrastructure development — building essential systems (roads, utilities)
• Urban sprawl — uncontrolled city expansion outward

Migration and Population

Movement Vocabulary

• Rural-to-urban migration — people moving from countryside to cities
• Urbanization — process of populations moving to cities
• Mass migration — large-scale population movement
• Exodus — mass departure ("rural exodus")
• Influx — arrival of large numbers ("influx of migrants")
• Relocation — moving to a new place

Population Terms

• Population density — number of people per area
• Urban population — people living in cities
• Overcrowding — too many people in an area
• Overpopulation — population exceeding sustainable levels
• Demographics — statistical characteristics of populations
• Growing population

Urban Problems

Housing Issues

• Housing shortage — not enough homes
• Affordable housing — reasonably priced accommodation
• Housing crisis — severe shortage of available homes
• Homelessness — people without shelter
• Slums/informal settlements — poor-quality, unplanned housing
• High cost of living — expensive daily expenses
• Property prices/rent — cost of buying or renting

Traffic and Transport

• Traffic congestion — overcrowded roads, slow movement
• Gridlock — complete traffic standstill
• Rush hour — peak travel times
• Commuting — traveling to work regularly
• Long commute times
• Vehicle emissions — pollution from cars
• Parking shortage

Environmental and Social Issues

• Air pollution — contaminated urban air
• Noise pollution — excessive urban noise
• Concrete jungle — city lacking green spaces
• Lack of green spaces — insufficient parks and nature
• Crime rates — frequency of criminal activity
• Poverty — state of being extremely poor
• Social inequality — unfair differences between groups
• Urban poverty

High-Value Collocations

With "urban"

• Urban dwellers — people living in cities
• Urban lifestyle — city way of living
• Urban infrastructure — city systems and facilities
• Urban environment — city surroundings
• Urban decay — decline of city areas

With "city"

• Major cities — large, important cities
• Capital city
• City planning
• City authorities — local government
• Inner city — central urban area (often with social problems)

With "transport"

• Public transport/transportation — buses, trains, metros
• Transport infrastructure
• Transport links — connections between places
• Efficient transport system
• Congested roads

Solutions and Improvements

Transport Solutions

• Public transportation investment
• Pedestrianization — making areas car-free for walking
• Carpooling — sharing car journeys
• Cycling infrastructure — bike lanes and facilities
• Park-and-ride schemes
• Traffic management

Urban Improvement

• Urban renewal projects
• Green spaces/parks
• Recreational facilities
• Sustainable urban development
• Mixed-use development — combining residential and commercial
• Affordable housing initiatives

Policy Solutions

• Decentralization — spreading functions away from city centre
• Satellite towns — smaller towns near major cities
• Regional development — investing in areas outside major cities
• Zoning regulations — rules about land use
• Investment in rural areas

Sample Sentence Transformations

Basic (Band 5-6):
"Many people move to cities to find jobs."

Advanced (Band 7+):
"Rural-to-urban migration is primarily driven by the pursuit of employment opportunities, as major cities offer more diverse career prospects than rural communities."

Basic:
"Cities have too many cars and traffic is bad."

Advanced:
"Urban areas face severe traffic congestion due to over-reliance on private vehicles, resulting in gridlock during rush hours and elevated levels of air pollution."

Basic:
"Living in cities is expensive and houses cost a lot."

Advanced:
"The high cost of living in metropolitan areas, particularly soaring property prices and rent, has created a housing crisis that disproportionately affects lower-income urban dwellers."

Topic-Specific Vocabulary Clusters

Rural-Urban Migration Essays:

• Economic opportunities
• Employment prospects
• Better facilities
• Higher wages
• Educational opportunities
• Push and pull factors
• Labour force
• Brain drain (skilled people leaving)

Urban Problems Essays:

• Strain on infrastructure
• Overburdened services
• Inadequate housing
• Environmental degradation
• Quality of life
• Social problems
• Resource scarcity
• Public services

Transport Essays:

• Traffic flow
• Sustainable transport
• Emission reduction
• Congestion charges
• Public transit
• Rush hour congestion
• Carbon footprint
• Alternative transport

Urban Planning Essays:

• City planners
• Strategic planning
• Sustainable development
• Green architecture
• Smart cities
• Urban density
• Land use
• Building regulations

Academic Verbs for Urban Essays

• Accommodate — have space for ("Cities cannot accommodate the influx")
• Alleviate — reduce ("Investment in public transport alleviates congestion")
• Exacerbate — worsen ("Population growth exacerbates housing shortages")
• Migrate — move to a new area
• Commute — travel regularly between home and work
• Regenerate — bring new life to ("Projects to regenerate inner-city areas")
• Congest — overcrowd ("Roads become congested during peak hours")

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Imprecise terms:

• "Cities have problems" → Specify: "Cities face housing shortages and traffic congestion"
• "Too many people" → "Overcrowding" or "Population density exceeds sustainable levels"
• "Traffic is bad" → "Traffic congestion" or "Gridlock during rush hours"

Wrong word choice:

• "Traffic jam" (informal) → "Traffic congestion" (formal)
• "Lots of buildings" → "High-density development" or "Urban density"
• "Move to city" → "Migrate to urban areas" or "Relocate to cities"

Practice Paragraph

Rewrite this Band 5 paragraph:

"Many people go to live in big cities because there are more jobs there. But cities have problems like traffic and expensive houses. The government should build more houses and make better trains and buses so people can travel easily."

Suggested improvement:
"Rural-to-urban migration continues as people seek better employment opportunities in metropolitan areas. However, this influx places considerable strain on urban infrastructure, resulting in severe traffic congestion and a housing crisis that renders accommodation unaffordable for many residents. Authorities should address these challenges through investment in affordable housing initiatives and expansion of public transportation networks to alleviate congestion and improve quality of life for urban dwellers."

Building Urbanization Vocabulary

Urban issues feature prominently in news coverage of city planning, housing policy, and transport initiatives. Following these stories exposes you to the precise terminology used in formal discussions.

Notice how city planners, politicians, and journalists discuss urban challenges—this formal vocabulary is exactly what IELTS examiners expect in essays about cities and urbanization.

For more topic-specific vocabulary, explore our guides on environment vocabulary and technology terms to build a comprehensive academic word bank.

Want feedback on how effectively you use urbanization vocabulary? Our AI analyzes your essays and identifies specific areas for improvement.