manhattanize means to construct many tall or densely situated buildings in (a city).
Etymology
From Manhattan + -ize.
verb
- To construct many tall or densely situated buildings in (a city).“San Francisco's Board of Supervisors last month approved a new zoning law designed to limit the height and size of office towers and to reduce by half the projected employment growth downtown over the next 15 years. ¶ Adoption of the plan came after more than a decade of complaints from San Franciscans that their city was being "Manhattanized."”