Asset-Based Community Development and Business Cooperatives

This book connects the Asset-Based Community Development framework with the development of business cooperatives as a Community Wealth Building strategy. It merges research from two disciplines – economic development and community development – to examine how communities can leverage their existing assets (human, social, physical, cultural, political, financial, and natural) to create equitable economic and racial opportunities for its residents with the creation and sustaining of cooperative businesses. Through this Community Wealth Building strategy, business cooperatives can be a tool to address economic, societal, and environmental inequities within communities. Case studies introduce the reader to Community Wealth Building, its guiding principles, and the ultimate goal of it: addressing wealth inequalities through shared economic prosperity, racial equity, and sustainable environmental practices. It will be useful to practitioners, students, and scholars working in sociology, urban planning, entrepreneurship, and public administration.