In 2009, journalist and screenwriter Drew Philp bought a ruined house in Detroit for $500. In the years that followed, as he gutted the interior and removed the heaps of garbage crowding the rooms, he didn't just learn how to repair a house -- he learned how to build a community. In a tribute to the city he loves, Philp tells us about "radical neighborliness" and makes the case that we have "the power to create the world anew together and to do it ourselves when our governments refuse."

Drew Philp: My $500 house in Detroit -- and the neighbors who helped me rebuild it

My $500 house in Detroit -- and the neighbors who helped me rebuild it

A $500 house in Detroit becomes a beacon of 'radical neighborliness', revealing the power of community in urban revival.

Detroit's decline, marked by population loss and racial segregation, offers a canvas for innovative, community-driven rebirth.

In Detroit's resurgence, true change emerges from grassroots efforts, challenging conventional wisdom on urban redevelopment.

*A $500 House in Detroit: Rebuilding an Abandoned Home and an American City*