Asset-based community development

Last updated September 13, 2023

Asset-based community development (ABCD) is a methodology for the sustainable development of communities based on their strengths and potentials. It involves assessing the resources, skills, and experience available in a community; organizing the community around issues that move its members into action; and then determining and taking appropriate action.^[1]^{[ page needed ]} This method uses the community's own assets and resources as the basis for development; it empowers the people of the community by encouraging them to use what they already possess.^[2]

The ABCD approach was developed by John L. McKnight and John P. Kretzmann at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. They co-authored a book in 1993, Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing A Community’s Assets,^[3] which outlined their asset-based approach to community development.^[4] The Community Development Program at Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research established the Asset-Based Community Development Institute based on three decades of research and community work by John P. Kretzmann and John L. McKnight.

Principles

Needs-based community development emphasizes local deficits and looks to outside agencies for resources. In contrast, asset-based community development focuses on honing and leveraging existing strengths within the community.^[5]^: 1 Related to tenets of empowerment, it postulates that solutions to community problems already exist within a community’s assets. Principles that guide ABCD include:

Everyone has gifts: Each person in a community has something to contribute.
Relationships build a community: People must be connected in order for sustainable community development to take place.
Citizens at the center: Citizens should be viewed as actors—not recipients—in development.
Leaders involve others: Community development is strongest when it involves a broad base of community action.
People care: Challenge notions of "apathy" by listening to people's interests.
Listen: Decisions should come from conversations where people are heard.
Ask: Asking for ideas is more sustainable than giving solutions.
Inside-out organization: Local community members are in control.
Institutions serve the community: Institutional leaders should create opportunities for community-member involvement, then "step back."^[5]^: 2

Tools

The ABCD approach uses several tools to assess and mobilize communities.^[3]

Capacity inventory

Skills Information: lists the many skills that a person has gained at home, work, in the community, or elsewhere. Examples of these skills can include internet knowledge, hair-cutting, listening, wallpapering, carpentry, sewing, babysitting, etc.^[6]
Community Skills: lists the community work in which a person has participated to determine future work they may be interested in.
Enterprising Interests and Experience: lists past experience in business and determines interest in starting a business.
Personal Information: lists minimum information for follow-up.

Asset mapping

There are five key assets in any given community: individuals, associations, institutions, physical assets, and connections.^[7] These assets are broken down into three categories: Gifts of individuals, Citizens’ Associations, and Local Institutions.^[3] Asset maps are used in lieu of needs maps which focus solely on negative aspects of communities. Asset maps, on the other hand, focus on community assets, abilities, skills, and strengths in order to build its future.

Time banks

Time banks are an example of using community assets to connect individuals' assets to one another.^[8] Neighbors and local organizations share skills with one another and earn and spend ‘TimeBank Hours’ or ‘credits’ in the process, allowing an hour of child care to equal an hour of home repair or tax preparation.^[8]

Ethics

Since ABCD relies on existing community assets to create change, it has been criticized for implying that disadvantaged communities have all the resources they need to solve community problems.^[9] According to the ABCD Institute, however, ABCD methodology recognizes that systemic injustice may require disadvantaged communities to seek assistance from outside the community. ABCD maintains that interventions from exterior sources will be most effective when a community’s assets are leveraged at full capacity.^[3] ABCD is described as a more sustainable model of community development than needs-based community development, because needs-based approaches may perpetuate community problems by emphasizing deficiencies and the necessity for reliance on outside assistance. By contrast, ABCD aims to build capacity within communities by expanding their social capital.^[3] By working with outside resources and simultaneously building trust within the community, more members can make use of a wider array of strengths.^[10]^: 480

Related Research Articles

A community is a social unit with commonality such as place, norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area or in virtual space through communication platforms. Durable good relations that extend beyond immediate genealogical ties also define a sense of community, important to their identity, practice, and roles in social institutions such as family, home, work, government, TV network, society, or humanity at large. Although communities are usually small relative to personal social ties, "community" may also refer to large group affiliations such as national communities, international communities, and virtual communities.

Sustainable development is an organizing principle that aims to meet human development goals while also enabling natural systems to provide necessary natural resources and ecosystem services to humans. The desired result is a society where living conditions and resources meet human needs without undermining the planetary integrity and stability of the natural system. Sustainable development tries to find a balance between economic development, environmental protection, and social well-being. The Brundtland Report in 1987 defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". The concept of sustainable development nowadays has a focus on economic development, social development and environmental protection for future generations.

Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights. Empowerment as action refers both to the process of self-empowerment and to professional support of people, which enables them to overcome their sense of powerlessness and lack of influence, and to recognize and use their resources.

Community psychology is concerned with the community as the unit of study. This contrasts with most psychology which focuses on the individual. Community psychology also studies the community as a context for the individuals within it, and the relationships of the individual to communities and society. Community psychologists seek to understand the functioning of the community, including the quality of life of persons within groups, organizations and institutions, communities, and society. They aim to enhance the quality of life through collaborative research and action.

The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." It is a broad concept, applied to the practices of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens, and professionals to improve various aspects of communities, typically aiming to build stronger and more resilient local communities.

Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest.

The Natural Step is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in Sweden in 1989 by scientist Karl-Henrik Robèrt. The Natural Step is also used when referring to the partially open source framework it developed. Following publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, Robèrt developed The Natural Step framework, setting out the system conditions for the sustainability of human activities on Earth; Robèrt's four system conditions are derived from a scientific understanding of universal laws and the aspects of our socio-ecological system, including the laws of gravity, the laws of thermodynamics and a multitude of social studies.

Sustainable urban infrastructure expands on the concept of urban infrastructure by adding the sustainability element with the expectation of improved and more resilient urban development. In the construction and physical and organizational structures that enable cities to function, sustainability also aims to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the capabilities of the future generations.

Civic engagement or civic participation is any individual or group activity addressing issues of public concern. Civic engagement includes communities working together or individuals working alone in both political and non-political actions to protect public values or make a change in a community. The goal of civic engagement is to address public concerns and promote the quality of the community.

The term "sustainable communities" has various definitions, but in essence refers to communities planned, built, or modified to promote sustainable living. Sustainable communities tend to focus on environmental and economic sustainability, urban infrastructure, social equity, and municipal government. The term is sometimes used synonymously with "green cities," "eco-communities," "livable cities" and "sustainable cities."

Community organization or Community Based Organization refers to organization aimed at making desired improvements to a community's social health, well-being, and overall functioning. Community organization occurs in geographically, psychosocially, culturally, spiritually, and digitally bounded communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Participatory rural appraisal</span> Process in international development

Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) is an approach used by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other agencies involved in international development. The approach aims to incorporate the knowledge and opinions of rural people in the planning and management of development projects and programmes.

Rural development is the process of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas.

A needs assessment is a systematic process for determining and addressing needs, or "gaps", between current conditions and desired conditions or "wants".

Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long time. Specific definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Experts often describe sustainability as having three dimensions : environmental, economic, and social, and many publications emphasize the environmental dimension. In everyday use, sustainability often focuses on countering major environmental problems, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, loss of ecosystem services, land degradation, and air and water pollution. The idea of sustainability can guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels. A related concept is sustainable development, and the terms are often used to mean the same thing. UNESCO distinguishes the two like this: "Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term goal, while sustainable development refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve it."

The Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning is one of the Federal Ministries of Nigeria.

Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) is an anti-poverty, community development and human services organization founded in 1961 as Boston Community Development Program (BCDP) in Boston, Massachusetts and incorporated as Action for Boston Community Development in 1962, serving as a prototype for urban “human renewal” agencies.

Peter Block is an American author, consultant, and speaker in the areas of organization development, community building, and civic engagement.

A sustainability organization is (1) an organized group of people that aims to advance sustainability and/or (2) those actions of organizing something sustainably. Unlike many business organizations, sustainability organizations are not limited to implementing sustainability strategies which provide them with economic and cultural benefits attained through environmental responsibility. For sustainability organizations, sustainability can also be an end in itself without further justifications.

The Boulevard House, now the Southwest Detroit Community House, is located in Southwest Detroit, Michigan and situated right on the Boulevard, in the articulation of Mexicantown, Mexican Village, and Hubbard Farms. It is the University of Michigan's settlement house, providing space for praxis among community scholars, community activists and residents. Since it was established in mid-2012, the Boulevard House has been used to create a place-based space to develop projects, engage community and support social change.

References

↑ McKnight, John; Kretzmann, John (1996). Mapping Community Capacity (PDF) (Report) (Revised ed.). Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Institute for Policy Research. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
↑ Mathie, Alison; Cameron, Jenny; Gibson, Katherine (2017). "Asset-based and citizen-led development: Using a diffracted power lens to analyze the possibilities and challenges". Progress in Development Studies. 17 (1): 54–66. doi: 10.1177/1464993416674302 . S2CID 157297746.
1 2 3 4 5 Kretzmann, John; McKnight, John (1993). Building Communities From the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: ACTA Publications. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-87946-108-9. OCLC 36708153.
↑ "Asset-Based Community Development Institute". Northwestern University Center for Civic Engagement. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
1 2 Rowland, Stan (26 April 2008). "What is Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)" (PDF). Collaborative of Neighborhood Transformation. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
↑ McKnight, John; Block, Peter (2010). The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler. ISBN 978-1-60509-584-4. OCLC 876604904.
↑ "What is Asset-based community development (ABCD)" (PDF). ABCD Institute. Collaborative for Neighborhood Transformation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
1 2 "What is Timebanking?". TimeBanks. TimeBanks USA. 2014-01-05. Archived from the original on 2015-02-21. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
↑ Ennis, G.; West, Deborah (2010). "Exploring the potential of social network analysis in asset-based community development practice and research". Australian Social Work. 64 (4): 404–417. doi:10.1080/0312407X.2010.508167. S2CID 144025289.
↑ Mathie, Alison; Cunningham, Gord (2003). "From clients to citizens: Asset-based Community Development as a strategy for community-driven development". Development in Practice. 13 (5): 474–486. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.613.1286 . doi:10.1080/0961452032000125857. S2CID 5781831.