Asset Inventories are Essential Tools for Community Leaders

Asset Inventories are essential tools for community leaders focused on amplifying a community’s strengths for asset-based community development. A community asset is anything that can be used to improve the quality of community life.

Assets in a community can fall into any number of categories.

• People: Residents represent a wide array of skill sets and can be empowered to use their abilities to build community. Think students, teachers, workers, stay-at-home parents, seniors, young professionals, and many others each have the ability to contribute positively.
• Place: A school, hospital, church, library, recreation center, social club, town landmark, vacant property, park, wetland, and more can all be important to the identity of a community, each ripe with the potential to transform a community’s future.
• Service: What community services exist in your town that make life better for some or all community members? Public transportation, early childhood education centers, community recycling facilities, cultural organizations, museums, galleries, and others all fall within this category.
• Business: Local businesses are some of the biggest contributors to a strong local economy. Businesses provide jobs, contribute to a local tax base, promote tourism, support local athletics and nonprofit organizations, and promote engagement in civic life.

Community Toolbox For Asset Mapping

Asset Mapping: A Handbook PDF