Dana Moore & Anna Pederson

November 10, 2009

“all the historic evidence indicates that significant community development only takes place when local community people are committed to investing themselves and their resources in the effort.” (McKnight, 2)

Asset maps are not always geographical

Allen, “Community Asset Mapping and Mobilizing Communities”, 2005.

vs.

Neighborhood Needs Map Neighborhood Asset Map

McKnight & Kretzmann, “Mapping Community Capacity”, 1996

Needs vs. AssetsTraditional Path 1 Alternative Path 2

Based on: Needs Assets

Goal: Institutional Change Building Communities

Conversation: Problems & Concerns Gifts and Dreams

Change Agent: Power Relationships

View of Individual:

Consumer, Client Producer, Owner

Needs = Community Problems:

Unemployment, gangs, truancy, broken families, housing shortage, crime, child abuse, illiteracy, welfare, lead poisoning, dropouts, etc.

Assets = Community “Treasures”:

Youth, elderly, artists, churches, schools, businesses, parks, libraries, cultural groups, community colleges, clubs, hospitals, farms, ranches, etc.

Allen, et al. “Vitalizing Communities: Building on Assets and Mobilizing for Collective Action” 1999

Step 1: Reality checkAn asset map is just the beginning of the process.

Before starting with the asset map, be sure that your community is ready and willing to:1. Participate in the asset mapping process by volunteering time

and information

2. Participate in the planning once the information is available

3. Change based on the plans that have been made

An asset map with no tangible results will frustrate future efforts

Types of community assets“not all community assets are equally available for community-building purposes.” (McKnight, 3)

•Located in the neighborhood and controlled by those who live in the neighborhood. •Individual capacities (including income)

•Include “labeled people”: “retarded, mentally ill, disabled, elderly, etc."•Existing and potential leaders•Organizational capacities

•Located in the neighborhood but controlled elsewhere.

•Located outside the neighborhood and controlled by those outside the neighborhood.

Types of institutions KEEPRA

Kinship (Family) Economic Education Political (Government) Religious Associations

RelationshipsAsset Mapping works through building relationships

and connecting people => also want to find existing relationships

E.g.• Ask businesses about their purchasing and hiring

patterns• Ask others (individuals, organizations) about their

purchasing patterns as well

How to find the assets?1. Collect asset information:

• Individual Assets- Volunteers, e.g. students from school, collect, disseminate

• Associational Assets- Table of people take first cut at identifying these assets

o Table of people = group representative of community that basically serves as a steering committee for asset mapping effort

• Institutional Assets- Table of people take lead• Economic Assets- Local bankers and business leaders take first cut at

identifying.• Natural Resources- Identify residents to start asset inventory process

2. Publicize- Place asset lists in public places through out community3. Call “Town Hall Meeting”4. Citizens add to assets

• Organize around asset sets to create new opportunities and maintain positive aspects of community

5. Community citizens are mobilized to take action

Allen, “Community Asset Mapping & Mobilizing Communities”, 2005.

Survey forms:Example survey forms available from: McKnight/Kretzmann, Allen/Cordes/Hart, Allen (2005). Beaulieu

suggests an additional Community Participation & Leadership survey.

Question: The introductory script for use people collecting resource information from people for the asset map proposed in the McKnight & Kretzmann article includes that the information would be kept confidential. How would you be able to keep information confidential and still mobilize resources?

Hello. I’m _________________________ with the _____________. We’re talking to local people about what skills they have. With this information, we hope to help people start businesses. I’d like to ask you some questions about your skills and where you have used them. Your participation is voluntary, and the information is confidential.

Step 1: Map The AssetsStep 2: Build Relationships and Broaden the Local Leadership

• Find/create organizations to act as "Asset Development Organizations”• Locate the capacity finders, community developers, and “strangers”; make sure all

are included• Create skills banks, learning exchanges => personal connections & talent pools

Step 3: Mobilize for Economic Development• How can the community produce internally what has been produced externally,

export goods and services?

Step 4: Convene the Community and Develop a Vision for the Future• Use previous efforts, needs assessments, etc. to inform the vision and strategy

building process

Step 5: Leverage Outside Resources to Support Local Priority Activities • Work from a position of strength to develop partnerships and direct how outside

resources are used to support vision

Step 6: Evaluate ProgressStep 7: Celebrate Progress!!!

What to do with this information?

Example: South SacramentoStarted with visioning

Then mapped assets with vision in mind• Did not attempt to map individuals’ assets

Then workgroups developed workplans to use resources to make positive changes, e.g. relationships between:• Different cultural groups within neighborhood twith little

previous communication• Residents, businesses, and police• Businesses, community groups and schools

Commitment to re-assessing and re-visioning

Example: Envision Flemingtonhttp://www.mappler.com/flemingtonvision

Designed to help residents “envision”Use of a map to collect comments, pictures, and/or video clips

from residents about:• Assets

• Suggestions

Example: Re-constructing the urban landscape through community mapping

by Frances Fahy and Michael O Cinneide

Article discusses the use of asset mapping for sustainable development in Galway, Ireland

Other tools for use: ecological footprinting, visioning, environmental impact assessment, best practices, and sustainability indicators

Community asset mappingGoogle Earth helped bring “mapping to the masses”

Community asset maps are “locally produced visual depictions of an area that record and promote social, environmental, and cultural resources” - shows what people value in their community

Allows a community to identify and record elements that require attention

Helps citizens develop a sense of identity with their community

Green Mapping

Green maps are locally produced charts that identify, promote and link elements of the natural and cultural elements of a community

Highlight green areas, bicycle paths, green businesses, and organic markets

Galway City ProjectInitiated by the Galway City Council to progress

sustainable development policies at a local levelUsed to: identify particular needs within communities and

broader city jurisdictions, create benchmarks for local communities and municipal authorities to identify sustainable development targets and monitor the progress of the targets

Community mapping allows participation from community members

Important for the project to represent cultural diversity and include marginalized groups

ContextGalway has been working on sustainable development

since 2000, created the Galway City Development BoardPrevious to community mapping project, Galway City

participated in a evaluation project with the National University of Ireland and the Irish EPA

The project aim was to investigate perceptions of quality of life in Galway

Results found that city government does not communicate sustainable development issues within municipal groups and to citizens

Project Method and FindingsCommunity mapping was suggested as one way to fix the

communication problemProject was started by holding workshops throughout the city

within various socio-economic groupsElements identified: walking and bicycling routes, recycling

centers, organic markets and churchesThe results of the workshops were turned into a map by

local university researchers and put on display on city website

The map was continuously updated based on suggestions from citizens

Findings (continued)

Project created a two-way dialogue between local communities and municipal authorities

The government created a high level of publicity for the map – showed that the government valued citizen imput

Conclusion

Key features of the process include sharing lived experiences, raising awareness and increasing knowledge about local areas

Increased community participation in creation of new geography

Improved dialogue and trust between the city and citizens

Green Mapping ResourcesGreen Map System, Inc.: http://www.greenmap.org/Greenopolis (social networking site):

http://greenopolis.com/Natural Connections: http://www.greenmapping.org/Wikipedia – Green Map:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_MapGreen Mapping for Eco-Justice in Harlem:

http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/articles/view/2525

Now for a local example…Engaging and Empowering Youth – Identifying and

mapping opportunities for youth in CU: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxWOXpiBUqk

Background:

http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/item/teens-research-assets-they-can-use/

http://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/13455/QI_YCI_final.pdf?sequence=2

References: Allen, J. C., Cordes, S. M., & Hart, J. G. (2004). “Vitalizing Communities”: Building on Assets and Mobilizing for Collective

Action: Facilitator Guide. http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/epubs/U2031/H003-2004.pdf, accessed 10/31/09. Great how-to, but a bit long.

Allen, J. C. (2005). Community Asset Mapping and Mobilizing Communities. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/pub__2880457.pdf, accessed 11/01/09. Many forms for asset mapping, including filled out examples.

Beaulieu, L. J. (2002). Mapping the assets of your community: A key component for building local capacity. http://srdc.msstate.edu/publications/227/227_asset_mapping.pdf, accessed 10/31/09.

Envision Flemington. http://www.mappler.com/flemingtonvision, accessed 11/08/09. Example of online interactive community mapping.

Fahy, F., Cinnéide, M. Re-constructing the urban landscape through community mapping: an attractive prospect for sustainability? Area (2009) 41:2, 167-175. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bpl/area/2009/00000041/00000002/art00006, accessed 11/01/09.

McKnight, J. L., Kretzmann, J. P. (1992). Mapping Community Capacity. http://www.northwestern.edu/ipr/publications/papers/mcc.pdf, accessed 10/24/09. How-to by the people who developed asset mapping.

Sacramento ENRICHES (Engaging Neighborhood Resources to Improve Children’s Health, Education and Safety) & Shapiro Consulting. (2005). South Sacramento Community Initiative Asset-Based Community Plan. http://www.msa2.saccounty.net/dns/CSASouth/SouthSac/Documents/ABCDPlan.pdf, accessed 11/08/09. Example of visioning + asset mapping.

Sustainable Jersey. Community Asset Mapping. http://www.sustainablejersey.com/editor/doc/act11tb1sa1.pdf, accessed 10/31/09. Includes list of several “green” mapping activities.