Asset-based Development--Again

I know we have explored the advantages of asset-based community development at length but it is important to revisit it in these hard economic times. What is it again? In brief, it is leveraging the assets that already exist in the community for economic and community development. The biggest problem in this definition is not understanding it but being able to identify the assets that exist. One of the things I do in my Smart Communities seminars is help community leaders have a new lens on what they have. When you see things everyday, you sometimes miss their importance. A couple of examples of using what you have. Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most identifiable and renown architects of the 20th century. His style was distinctive. Private homeowners and corporations (Johnson Wax to name one) sought his expertise. Several places are leveraging his legacy for money: renting Wright-designed homes. While these are not quite Lincoln bedroom experiences at the White House, they do fulfill livelong dreams for people who followed and admired the Frank Lloyd Wright tradition. A very good idea for bringing people to an area or a community.

Another idea I am following is music and artistic traditions. We all know about Nashville and Austin's traditions but do we know about Richmond, IN. It seems that it was home to a number of jazz artists in the twenties and a number of jazz recordings were produced there. They have plans for a museum but could also cash in on the attendance to the many jazz festivals across the United States. This asset has been there all along in Richmond and may be the ticket to revitalization that they need. With Earlham College in town and juxtaposed between Dayton, OH and Indianapolis, IN, they could become the "crossroads for jazz" along I-70. When can we expect a national-draw jazz festival in the birthplace of recorded jazz?