What is the difference between urbanisation and counter-urbanisation?

Urbanisation and re-urbanisation both refer to the net movement of people into urban areas; in this sense, they are similar. The key difference lies in the times at which this movement occurs. Urbanisation is almost the starting point, where rural areas become urbanised as people move into cities. Re-urbanisation, however, comes after this, and occurs after counter-urbanisation (where people move out of cities into the suburbs, often to commute). So, In re-urbanisation, people are moving back into a city that is already exists, often due to inner city redevelopment or as house prices fall and an area is gentrified. This means that re-urbanisation can only occur after urbanisation.