Asset Based Community driven Development (ABCD) is an approach that appreciates the strengths, potentials and capacities that communities inherently have and how to unlock these. The term ABCD was coined by Kretzmann and McKnight (1993) who researched self organised communities and the critical success factors. They found that efforts are more effective and longer-lasting when community members dedicated their time and talents to creating the changes they desired (and not focusing on what is lacking).

Asset Based Community Development (or citizen driven development) offers an alternative to the conventional needs based approach. The needs based approach creates mental ‘problem maps’ and offers a skewed view of the community and can have a devastating impact on the psychology of local residents. Alternatively, asset based development rests on an understanding that sustainable development comes from within.

Assets include: stories, knowledge, innovations, talents, associations and networks, local institutions, physical assets and natural resources; financial resources; cultural assets; rights, claims and entitlements. The approach focuses attention on the strengths and capacities that communities already have and builds from there. The intention is to surface hidden “gifts”, grow a common vision and an appreciation from which to move forward.