Underground4Value

(COST Action CA18110) ->https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA18110/#tabs%7CName:overview

Underground4Value (U4V) is a European network dedicated to promoting the sustainable conservation and responsible reuse of Underground Built Heritage (UBH). From 2019 to 2023, the project brought together more than 200 experts from 30 countries, working collaboratively to understand, protect, and revitalise the vast cultural, historical, and ecological legacy hidden beneath our feet.  U4V demonstrates how underground built heritage, such as caves, tunnels, catacombs, ancient quarries, and rock-cut dwellings, can become powerful drivers of community empowerment, cultural development, and territorial regeneration. Underground heritage sites are more than archaeological or geological curiosities. They are deeply intertwined with the identities, economies, and environments of the regions above them. 

Underground4value contributes to:

• Cultural understanding – revealing how past societies lived, worked, and worshipped
• Environmental protection – supporting biodiversity and climate adaptation
• Education – offering rich opportunities for learning and exploration
• Local development – attracting visitors, generating jobs, and revitalising regions
• Resilient cities and landscapes – providing infrastructure and services below ground

From the Caves of Han (Belgium) to the Catacombs of Naples and the cave dwellings of Göreme–Cappadocia, Underground4value showcases the diversity and vitality of Europe’s underground heritage. 

What Underground4Value Achieved

A Structured Expert Network: U4V organised its activities through five interdisciplinary Working Groups, each addressing a key dimension of underground heritage:

1. Knowledge Base – building a shared vocabulary, taxonomy, and scientific understanding of UBH.
2. Heritage-Led Development – exploring regeneration, landscapes, and sustainable planning.
3. Technological Innovation & New Businesses – advancing tools for monitoring, conservation, and creative reuse.
4. Planning & Governance for Sustainability Transitions – analysing laws, policies, and stakeholder engagement.
5. Dissemination & Outreach – ensuring visibility, multilingual communication, and public engagement.

This structure enabled a comprehensive approach, combining archaeology, engineering, cultural anthropology, planning, economics, tourism, and more.

Case Studies and Living Labs: Every year, U4V selected four UBH sites in different countries. Through these case studies, the network:

• Analysed governance, planning, and regulatory frameworks
• Mapped stakeholders and community needs
• Tested conservation and monitoring technologies
• Explored tourism models and economic opportunities
• Identified risks and potential negative impacts (e.g. gentrification, mass tourism)
• Helped local communities develop Living Labs—places where ideas, strategies, and solutions could be tested in real-world conditions

These case studies became a unique source of comparative knowledge across diverse cultural, economic, and political contexts.

Strategic Transition Practice (STP): One of the main achievements of U4V is the development of the Strategic Transition Practice (STP) methodology. STP offers a step-by-step, community-oriented approach for:

• Supporting participatory planning
• Guiding conservation and adaptive reuse
• Empowering citizens
• Bridging scientific, technical, and local knowledge
• Stimulating long-term, sustainable change

This method has been applied in Thirteen Living Labs, helping communities reinterpret, manage, and valorise their underground heritage in innovative ways.