John McKnight, who has died aged 92, was an inspirational innovator in community development in north America. He was the father of the asset-based community development (ABCD) movement that has reshaped thinking globally about drawing on the strengths of people living on the margins of society.
His many disciples include Barack and Michelle Obama, both of whom he tutored when they worked with community groups in Chicago, and his approach is increasingly espoused by local authorities in the UK, in stimulating a sense and spirit of “place” in neighbourhoods that are long neglected and failed by the state.
