Asset-Based Community Development for developing Nature-based Solutions
Originally written as a blog for What’s that Green? in July 2025 - Link at the end
As cities face mounting ecological and social pressures, Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) have emerged as promising responses, as they focus on using natural systems to address urban challenges like flooding, heat, pollution, and biodiversity loss. This said, the long-term success of these initiatives hinges not just on good design or policy, but on deep, ongoing community involvement. This is where Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) offers a framework for sustainable transformation.
The Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach
At its core, ABCD urges us to “start with what’s strong, not what’s wrong”. Rather than focusing on what is failing in an area, ABCD focuses on the existing strengths, relationships, knowledge, and capacities already present in a place. These can include individual skills, trusted local institutions, social networks, cultural traditions, and underused physical spaces. In the context of NbS, this mindset shifts the goal from applying simple fixes to co-creating living, evolving projects that are rooted in local identity and sustained by the people who live there.
Leveraging local strengths
A key strategy within the ABCD approach is mapping local natural and social assets together, starting not from what’s missing, but from what already exists. Rather than beginning with purely environmental goals, initiatives that apply ABCD begin by engaging communities to uncover both ecological and social strengths, such as urban parks, community gardens, wetlands, street trees, or underused plots of land, and the people and groups already connected to them.
For example, in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas, the Sustainable Favela Network Map highlights a wide array of grassroots, community-led projects. Developed by Catalytic Communities (CatComm), the map serves as a dynamic tool to assess and connect local initiatives that blend environmental care with social participation, while highlighting both social aspects like inclusive leadership and community engagement, and natural solutions such as green roofs, solar panels, and community gardens. This enables collaboration and resource-sharing among neighbourhoods.
Similarly, in Bristol, UK, an initiative aimed at reducing social isolation among older adults took an ABCD approach by identifying existing community strengths. Residents co-developed an unused piece of land into a thriving local nature reserve. The project didn’t just address loneliness or environmental neglect, but focused on identifying and leveraging existing community strengths, such as local organisations and resident skills. With this approach, it fostered deeper community ties and long-term stewardship of the space.
In Victoria, Australia, the Urban Forest Strategy embedded ABCD principles by involving residents, businesses, and local institutions in shaping and maintaining an urban greening plan. Instead of treating the tree canopy as a municipal responsibility alone, social aspects are addressed by the city coordinating community planting days and involving residents in planning and implementation and help design and care for local greenery. The result was not only more trees, but stronger civic relationships and environmental ownership.
These examples show how ABCD ensures nature-based solutions are rooted in the everyday lives of people. By mapping and mobilizing existing networks such as local gardeners, schools teaching environmental education, elders with traditional ecological knowledge, or even artists who reimagine public space. Projects gain long-term viability and deeper meaning. Faith groups, neighborhood councils, and community clubs become natural channels for organizing and maintaining these interventions.
Ultimately, ABCD shifts the narrative: it’s not just about beautifying a place, but about fostering resilience, pride, and belonging. When people are invited to contribute their strengths, they don’t just protect nature, they begin to see it as part of their collective identity and shared future.
Challenges to be mindful of
While the potential of Asset-Based Community Development is clear, applying ABCD to NbS is not without its challenges. Recognizing these complexities is essential to ensure that the process remains genuinely inclusive, effective, and sustainable.
A key pitfall to avoid is top-down planning disguised as community participation. Often, urban greening or climate adaptation projects claim to involve the local community but offer little more than token consultation. This aligns with the lower rungs of Sherry Arnstein’s Ladder of Participation, where communities may be “informed” or “consulted” but have no real influence over decisions.
In an ABCD-led NbS process, participation must go beyond box-ticking exercises. It requires initiatives to engage from the start and to actively listen, inviting residents not only to shape the vision but also to take a lead in aspects of design and implementation. This requires an open-minded approach from local municipal power, and a willingness to hand over power and responsibility.
Another critical aspect is time. Both ABCD and ecological regeneration are inherently slow processes. Building trust, mapping assets, and co-creating solutions demand effort and patience over a longer period. Similarly, nature-based interventions often take years to show visible impact. This can create misalignment with the timelines of local funding cycles. Participants must manage expectations and communicate that this is a long-term process, perhaps requiring multiple ‘generations’ of participation.
Equity must also be considered in this approach. Whose assets are recognized, and whose voices are heard? While ABCD aims to realise the potential within communities, it’s essential to avoid reinforcing existing inequalities. For example, more vocal or visible community members may dominate asset-mapping exercises, while others may be overlooked.
The process must actively create space for diverse forms of contribution, taking into consideration cultural, economic, educational and other differences. Equity also means addressing structural barriers, such as land ownership, access to public space, and historical inequalities that shape who is able to participate in the first place.
In conclusion, while the ABCD model offers a valuable way to root nature-based solutions in community life, it is not a quick fix or a guaranteed path to success. It requires a reflective approach and an ongoing commitment to authentic participation, patience, and an equitable process.
When done well, it adds social engagement to the transformative power of NbS, enabling communities to be co-creators and long-term guardians of the places they inhabit.
Further reading on ABCD:
Kretzmann, J. P., & McKnight, J. L. (1993). Building communities from the inside out. Asset-Based Community Development Institute, Northwestern University. Chicago, IL: ACTA Publications
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