The main objective of the Action Underground Built Heritage as catalyser for Community Valorisation (Underground4Value) is to promote and preserve and, where possible, re-use the underground built heritage as a valuable resource for the development of local communities.
As part of its policy-oriented activities, on 21 September, this Action hosted it’s final conference at the European Parliament to discuss how COST Actions, such as Underground4Value, impact on cultural heritage in Europe and beyond. Underground4Value was joined by COST representatives and stakeholders from the wider cultural heritage community for animated discussions.
Ronald de Bruin, Director of the COST Association, opened the conference, “For many years COST Actions have been addressing the challenges in the field of cultural heritage and contributing to the capacity building in the sector”. It all started in 2010 with the first COST Action ‘Investigating Cultural Sustainability‘ and since then more than 30 related Actions have been funded in this domain. In addition, several international events, such as COST Connect, have been organised on the topic, bringing together leading figures from the heritage sector.
“COST has been instrumental in structuring the field and fighting silos in the sector by bringing relevant actors together. We hope that COST can continue to contribute to the preservation and promotion of our cultural heritage for many years to come.”
Ronald de Bruin, Director of the COST Association
Helena Vičič, keynote speaker from the European Association for Heritage Interpretation (Interpret Europe), presented the association’s mission and activities. They aim to empower those who inspire meaningful connections with Europe’s natural and cultural heritage and provide lifelong education and training. Helena highlighted the paper ‘Engaging citizens’, which offers suggestions on how to use heritage to reflect on Europe’s shared values. Helena stressed that learning from our heritage is essential for a united future in Europe. She said that people don’t just learn about the past, they learn from it.
Helena also explained that heritage is a way for people to learn in a different, more informal way. A way that gives people new experiences and skills. Heritage can be presented in a way that makes people think and discuss things. She emphasised, that people don’t need ready-made answers; they need a way to talk about things.
Giuseppe Pace, Chair of Underground4Value, from the Italian National Research Council, summarised the results of the Action and its importance as a catalyst for community valorisation. He said that the aim of U4A was to promote balanced and sustainable approaches to the conservation of the underground heritage, while at the same time realising the potential of underground spaces in urban and rural areas for regeneration policies. Giuseppe highlighted in particular that through its ToolBox Underground4value is able to provide practical answers to the need to empower community-based organisations to design, implement and evaluate initiatives that add value to the underground built heritage in order to achieve “living better together”.
“We strongly believe that only by supporting communities in these cultural transitions can we realise the vision of a ‘smarter, greener and more enjoyable place to live’. Everything we do is about fostering a deep sense of community and promoting a positive partnership ethos”.
Giuseppe Pace, Chair of Underground4Value
Giuseppe Pace also talked about the future goals of the Action Network, namely supporting the global heritage community, innovating business models for heritage management, creating digital tools for knowledge sharing and promoting local initiatives for tourism. “Our Underground4Value Action is a start, we look forward to bigger and more important COST Actions!”, he concluded.
Susana Martinez Rodriguez, Associate Professor of Economic History and Institutions at the University of Murcia and Vice-Chair of Underground4Value, said she was honoured to take part in this event at the European Parliament, where the work of Underground4Value has made a significant contribution to the revitalisation of Europe’s cultural heritage.
“To be invited to the European Parliament is an honour reserved for projects that exemplify best practice and reflect the core values of European Union policies”
Susana Martinez Rodriguez, Vice-Chair of the Action U4V
This final event of the U4V Action served as a clear example of COST’s contribution to reaching out to policy makers, civil society and the multi-stakeholder community in the context of cultural heritage.
Additional information:
View the Action webpage
View the Network website
Read the COST success story about Underground4Value ‘Beneath Our Feet: Europe’s Underground’
Check the Action Toolbox
