Welcome to ABCD


The Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD) is at the center of a large and growing movement that considers local assets as the primary building blocks of sustainable community development. Building on the skills of local residents, the power of local associations, and the supportive functions of local institutions, asset-based community development draws upon existing community strengths to build stronger, more sustainable communities for the future.

We invite you to learn about the institute and its work in the university and community context. Please also visit our staff and faculty pages, and become acquainted with our many community partners. We hope you will join us in building strong communities.



An ABCD gathering in Evanston, Illinois

Visit our Publications pages to learn more about ABCD and its community applications:


Rural ABCD		  
Community Transformation		  
Faith Communities
  
Public Media and ABCD
  
Mercado Central

Capacity Inventories
  
Evaluating ABCD
  
Grants for Blocks
  
ABCD and Organizations
  
Information Exchange

 ABCD COMMUNITY STORIES 

The Mercado Central is a retail business cooperative that was developed by the Latino immigrant community in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Mercado Central (Cooperative Mercado Central) is the result of the creativity and hard work of members of this community, who joined forces with a faith-based organizing group and numerous community organizations to build a traditional marketplace in their inner-city neighborhood. Currently home to 44 businesses, the Mercado Central has transformed the lives of people in this community by recognizing their capacity to build their own local economy in a manner that reflected their traditions.

Visit this month's Featured ABCD Story
 TOP NEWS STORY  from ABCD:

First Lady and ABCD faculty member Michelle Obama mentions the Asset-Based Community Development Institute and partner organization Public Allies in a speech at a conference hosted June 16, 2009 by Greater DC Cares. Visit Michelle Obama's faculty page to read her speech.
 PLEASE VISIT OUR NEWS PAGE  featuring recent news items from the ABCD Institute, its faculty, its partners, and its networks.

The NEWS page includes our top news story as well as many others featuring the people and communities doing asset-based community development.

Find the link on our navigation bar titled NEWS ABOUT ABCD, or click here to review our current news items.



back to top