An Introduction to Underground4value

This chapter offers a first insight of the COST action CA18110 Under-ground4value, by summarising its objectives and the strategy for supporting Underground Built Heritage (UBH) conservation, valorisation, management, and decision-making through community-led development. To get Underground4value knowledge and competencies' needs, a primary element is to follow the action challenge of "...promoting UBH as a valuable resource to celebrate and preserve, and when sustainable, to re-use and valorise, realising its full potential to support local communities' development" . This challenge puts together two different issues: from the one side, there is the UBH, a unique cultural resource, on the other side, the local community, which could greatly benefit of this resource through social innovation. Only through substantial community engagement, heritage-led regeneration initiatives can generate sustainable, successful characteristic places, where people en-joy living, engender economic development through job creations and creating social well-being through crime reduction, health, education and social capital.