Asset-based community development

Needs-based community development emphasizes local deficits and looks to outside agencies for resources.

[7] These assets are broken down into three categories: Gifts of individuals, Citizens’ Associations, and Local Institutions.

ABCD maintains that interventions from exterior sources will be most effective when a community’s assets are leveraged at full capacity.

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.