Developing
Community Connections with Asset Mapping
Asset-based Community
Development (ABCD) is a means for members of a community to identify and
connect the community’s assets so they use and grow their capacity to change on
their own terms. Asset mapping is used in ABCD in a facilitated, participatory
and inclusive process through which a group of residents identify the
individual, associational and institutional assets in their neighborhood or
community, then use them in envisioning and taking practical steps toward
community improvement.
These handouts will help guide you through an asset-based community development process:
Overview: This
two-page handout provides an overview of the asset-based development process
for helping communities adapt to wildfire. The approach has seven steps:
situation assessment — asset mapping with “connectors” — facilitating local
visioning — identifying action steps — widening the circle — bridging for
support — becoming collaborative partners.
Step 1—Situation
Assessment: This resource explains what a situation assessment is and provides
guidelines for how to perform one successfully. It also helps you identify who
to work with during the remainder of the process.
Step 2—Developing
Community Connections with Asset Mapping: While learning about a
community’s strengths and challenges during the situation assessment, you
probably met people who are “connectors.” This handout will help you
collaborate with them on identifying the community’s fire adaptation strengths
in a “mapping” project.
Steps 3 & 4--Facilitating Local Visioning & Identifying Action Steps: This
installment guides you through community visioning, a process of collectively
imagining a desired future, and then start to mobilize your community’s assets
into action.
Steps5, 6 & 7—Widening the Circle, Bridging for Support & Becoming
Collaborative Partners: The last handout in the series guides you through bringing in more parts of your community, and reaching beyond to engage with other agencies and organizations with wildland fire responsibilities.
These resources
were developed by Jana Carp through her work with the Fire Learning Network.
She talks about that work in the blog post “Community Magic: Community-Based
Asset Mapping Establishes New Connections for Fire Adaptation” on the Fire
Adapted Communities Learning Network website.
