The process whose specific outcome is the progression of the urinary bladder over time, from its formation to the mature structure. The urinary bladder is an elastic, muscular sac situated in the anterior part of the pelvic cavity in which urine collects before excretion. [ GOC:ln GOC:dph http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/538956 GOC:mr http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18276178 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11768524 ]