Resources

Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is a strategy that sustains community-driven development by focusing on the strengths and potential of the communities. Initially developed by Jody Kretzmann and John L. McKnight at Northwestern University, the premise of ABCD is that communities can take charge of the development process by identifying and leveraging pre-existing resources and assets to accomplish change.

• Mapping Community Assets Workbook is a useful toolkit for developing a map of the valuable resources in a community.
• The Asset Based Community Development Institute website provides information on the support they provide ABCD initiatives, current research projects, training videos, and other tools.
• The Creating Welcoming Places Workbook covers ways a group can continue to engage current members and attract new members.
• The toolkit Three Questions for Effective Strategy Development can be used along with Creating Space for Resident Action and Engagement to determine what activities community residents can perform on their own, what they can do with help from institutions, and what activities can only be done by institutions and their staff.