Abstract: In abroad the definition of poverty is changed from focusing on external lack of materials and incomes to emphasizing on internal deprivation of capability. However, urban anti-poverty policy-making in China has not been adapted to this change, and still gives priority to government relief work, neglecting poor groups爷capacity-building and poverty-eliminating consciousness incentive. Therefore we should focus on constructing the self-reliance of urban poor groups, enhance their basic survival ability and improve their self-development ability by perceiving the poor groups as the foremost fighters in war on poverty, advancing their viability from the aspects of environment, opportunities and consciousness and innovating anti-poverty policies from the aspects of target, content and implementation.