Crossword Genius

Municipalities have invested in themselves after evacuation (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

towns

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'municipalities' is the definition.
(I know this)

'have invested in themselves after evacuation' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'have' could be 'own' (to have something is to own it) and 'own' is located in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for towns that I've seen before include "Urban areas" , "Places" , "Settlements" , "Municipalities" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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