Op-Ed: Poverty elimination is a growth strategy. Now Detroit needs a wealth-building strategy. 

Detroit's newly elected Mayor Mary Sheffield has proposed that poverty elimination should be viewed as an economic growth strategy, shifting the traditional approach to urban development. The article argues that underinvested Detroit neighborhoods represent untapped investment opportunities that fail to attract capital due to weak institutional structures rather than lack of potential returns. Instead of relying on trickle-down development models where benefits rarely reach low-income residents, the author advocates for a wealth-building approach that gives poor households access to ownership and equity.