What term refers to the increased movement of people and businesses into the outskirts of cities?

The term that refers to the increased movement of people and businesses into the outskirts of cities is known as urban sprawl. Urban sprawl describes the process of expanding urban areas into previously rural or undeveloped land, often characterized by the spread of low-density residential developments, shopping centers, and infrastructure.

This phenomenon is significant because it often reflects changes in lifestyle preferences, such as the desire for larger homes and more land, as well as economic factors like housing affordability in urban centers. Urban sprawl can lead to various social and environmental issues, such as increased reliance on automobiles, longer commutes, and potential impacts on local ecosystems.

While suburbanization is closely related and describes the growth of suburbs specifically, urban sprawl emphasizes the broader concept of expansion beyond city limits into surrounding areas, where the density of development is typically lower than in urban centers. Urban renewal, on the other hand, is focused on revitalizing and improving urban areas that may be in decline, and metropolitan expansion typically refers to the overall growth of urban regions, which can include the phenomenon of urban sprawl.