Poor communities in urban areas are the aggregate urban space that display the characteristics of poverty and that are densely populated with poor people. In the globalized era，a variety of elements has contributed to widespread poverty，adding more complexities and difficulties for urban renewal in poor communities. First，this article analyzes the three major causes that lead to the formation of a poor urban community—changes in the industrial structure，reform of the housing system，and social spatial differentiation. Second，based on a comprehensive review of the pattern of transforming poor urban communities reveals that the public sectors，along with the increasing involvement of private and social capital，gradually steer the transformation of the community. Based on a case study of British，American，and German practices，the article also examines three Western modes of cooperation among the state，local transfer payments，and community development companies. Additionally，the article presents a comparative study of three successful cases in the mode of transformation of a poor urban community in Shenzhen，Guangzhou，and Beijing，and in particular the role of government in the urban renewal process. Finally，the article suggests two approaches to improve the efficiency of urban renewal programs：1） reform of the system of governance，and 2） construction of a cooperative planned system that involves all the stakeholders.