Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) looks at community development from the view of the glass being half full rather than being half empty. It challenges the traditional ‘top down’ or ‘outside in’ approach of solving problems in which service providers and funding agencies focus on the needs and deficiencies of communities. Instead it focuses on communities ‘building from the inside out’ or ‘bottom up’. Community assets are the key building blocks in sustainable rural and urban community revitalisation efforts. These community assets include: the skills and experiences of local residents; the power of local associations; the resources of public, private and non-profit institutions; and the physical, economic and cultural resources of local communities.
The Asset-based Community Development Institute
ORGANIZATION:
ABCD Institute
Author +
John Kretzmann and John L. McKnight
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