“Sustainable Living Series” Asset Based Community Development Simple to Understand Applicable to blighted communities, developing nations – and many dysfunctional environments John McKnight is emeritus professor of education and social policy and codirector of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University

Social Mapping for Solutions What is social mapping? Social mapping is a visual method of showing the relative location of households. and the distribution of different types of people (such as male, female, adult, child, landed, landless, literate, and illiterate) together with the social structure and institutions of an area.

Creating Models for Livable Long-Term Solutions Traditional Needs Assessment is one way…the old way

Remember the Power “Framing” …and flexible thinking

Urban neighborhood “needs” map – traditional example Unemployment Homelessness Broken Families Slum Housing Graffiti Illiteracy Gangs Child Abuse Mental Disability Crime Welfare Recipients Drugs Dropouts

Consequences of needs map Local residents internalize “deficiencies” Local relationships are destroyed Funds are directed to professional helpers, not residents Leaders magnify and exploit deficiencies Failure is often rewarded (public aid cheaters/exploiters and so on) Dependency is perpetuated

Neighborhood assets map as contrast to “needs” map Local Institutions Businesses Schools Citizen Associations Churches Block Clubs Individual Gifts Seniors Parks Income Youth Volunteer Groups Artists Cultural Groups Hospitals Colleges

Successful community building Citizen-led Asset-based Relationship-driven Internally-focused Comprehensive

Community-building paradigm Old Focus on deficits More services Problem response Focus on individuals Maintenance See people as clients Fix people Programs are the answer Emphasis on agencies Charity orientation New Focus on assets Fewer services Opportunity identification Focus on community Development See people as citizens Develop potential People are the answer Emphasis on associations Investment orientation

Community assets Institutions Associations Individuals

Individuals assets Talents Skills Creativity Culture Sense of history Time Enthusiasm Relationship & networks Income “Every living person has some gift or capacity of value to others. A strong community is a place that recognizes those gifts and ensures that they are given.” − Building Communities from the Inside Out, Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993

Associational assets Councils Block clubs Church groups Sports teams “The basic community organization for empowering individuals and mobilizing their capacities is the association. An association is a group of citizens working together. An association is an amplifier of the gifts, talents and skills of individual community members.” − Building Communities from the Inside Out, Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993 Councils Block clubs Church groups Sports teams Business groups Political groups Service clubs Exercise groups Arts organizations

Local institutional assets “Every community hosts some combination of more formal, public, private and non-profit institutions. Since these institutions represent significant concentrations of resources, local neighborhoods have begun to capture them for community-building purposes.” − Building Communities from the Inside Out, Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993 Parks Libraries Schools Colleges Hospitals Churches Social service agencies Police

From AB (Asset Based) to CD (Community Development)   ABCD Principles Organizing Organizations Community Building Tools Citizen-Led Asset Based Relationship Centered Internally Focused Investment Oriented Comprehensive Membership Supported Egalitarian / Open Driven by Principles Growth Oriented Action Oriented Collaborative Empowered Independent of Institutional Control Self-Sustaining Individual Development Accounts Neighborhood Develop. Trusts Asset I.D. and Mobilization Grants for Blocks Community-School Partnerships Land Trusts Neighborhood Newspapers Neighborhood Networks Community Resource Centers

Mobilizing community assets Local Institutions External Institutions Associations Individuals

Remember the example of Greensburg, Kansas.