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💡 About this site

This site hosts the data and findings from an Ubele Initiative and Blagrave Trust project that mapped the infrastructure supporting the work of community asset developers.

Use the navigation at the top of the page to move to different parts of the site.

Scroll through the pages, follow the links and explore the case studies embedded within the content.

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Who’s supporting the community asset developers?

Community assets, the land and buildings stewarded by communities for collective benefit, play a vital role in sustaining the wellbeing, identity and agency of communities. Communities and their assets are coming under threat after over a decade of austerity, the regeneration of urban communities led by corporate interests, and the increasing challenges of political division. Infrastructure for community asset development will play a vital role in supporting communities to turn the tide and meet the scale of local needs nationally.

This project set out to build a picture of the infrastructure supporting communities to create, secure and steward assets.

➡️ Read more about this project

Source: Civic Square

Source: Granby Four Streets

Infrastructure mapping

The ecosystem of support for community asset development is diverse. We identified 11 types of infrastructure, from peer networks and pioneering projects to capacity builders and campaigns. Infrastructure involving and supporting young people and marginalised communities is necessary for an inclusive and sustainable field. We found promising examples of infrastructure supporting these audiences, but overall they were limited. Regional variations in infrastructure and variations by asset type were also identified.

➡️ Explore the infrastructure map

➡️ Read our analysis of the infrastructure landscape

Source: Confederation of Community Housing

Source: Phoenix Community Housing

Themes and insights

The journey to communities developing assets can be long and winding. Each stage of the journey comes with its own challenges, often associated with limited funding, lack of consistent support and challenging local and national policy environments.

➡️ Read our insights into asset development journeys

Across our work, several core themes and opportunity areas emerged from within the field of infrastructure for community asset development. These included:

Strengthening knowledge infrastructures
Enabling effective partnerships
Financing community asset development
Building a connected ecosystem
Navigating inconsistent policy landscapes
Democratic governance and community mobilising practices

➡️ Read our write-up of the project’s key themes and insights

Source: Material Cultures

Source: WeCanMake