Asset Building and Community Development

"This is a very hands-on book, rich with both information and examples . . . what makes the volume especially readable is the insertion of brief case studies into most chapters . . . a productive read for both students of community development and the general public."
--Deborah Puntenney, AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION JOURNAL

Can residents work together to improve the quality of life in their communities? There is continued skepticism about community-based efforts to overcome the problems of concentrated poverty and racial segregation in the inner city, underdevelopment in rural areas, and social isolation. Yet, there are numerous examples of residents helping their local communities provide affordable housing, job training, and financing for businesses.

In Asset Building and Community Development Gary Paul Green and Anna Haines provide an engaging, thought-provoking, interdisciplinary overview of the community development field. They explore the history of the community development movement in the United States and in international settings. Using an asset-based approach that considers human, physical, social, financial, and environmental capital, the authors skillfully demonstrate how local organizations are better able to meet community needs than governmental programs or market strategies.

Lively and informative, this well-crafted introduction to community development will appeal to students and to practitioners who want an understanding of the basic concepts and theories behind their activities.

Gary Paul Green is a professor in the Department of Community & Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a community development specialist in the Center for Community & Economic Development at the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Green’s teaching and research interests are primarily in the areas of community and economic development. In addition to his work in the U.S., he has been involved in community and economic development research and teaching in China, New Zealand, South Korea, Uganda, and Ukraine.

Anna L. Haines, Ph.D. is a professor in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point and a land use and community development specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Haines received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Her research and teaching focuses on planning and community development from a natural resources or environmental perspective. Her research has focused on evaluating community planning and zoning in terms of smart growth and sustainability, land parcelization, and local food systems. Her extension work has focused on comprehensive planning and planning implementation tools and techniques, sustainable communities, and property rights issues.