Specific Challenge:
European historic areas[1] and their surroundings, both in urban and rural environments, are increasingly affected by climate-change and various natural hazard events. Increasing their resilience through ‘preparedness’ interventions and securing their sustainable reconstruction in case of damage or destruction is essential to preserve their identity and economic, social and environmental functionality and to seamlessly transmit their historic value to new generations. However, interventions in historic areas are quite difficult and hence costly due to specific characteristics associated with heritage sites (such as artistic values, denser urban fabric, material compatibility requirements, higher vulnerability of materials and structures, difficulty in accessing the damaged areas, high symbolic values for communities involved, traditional lifestyles, etc.). Knowledge- and evidence-based approaches to resilience enhancement and reconstruction approaches are needed to increase the cost-effectiveness of these activities from the whole life cycle perspective.
Scope:
Actions should establish how to implement the principle of building back better[2] and safer in carrying out sustainable reconstruction and recovery interventions of historic areas where damage has occurred, thus rendering them more socially, economically and environmentally resilient, and/or should establish how to proactively enhance the resilience of these areas so that they will better cope with future disasters. Furthermore, actions should:
The participation of social sciences and humanities disciplines such as gender studies, architecture, archaeology, cultural anthropology, law, economics, governance, planning, cultural and historical studies, is considered essential to properly address the complex challenges of this topic. Consortia should also include societal stakeholders and community-based partners to find practical and durable solutions.
Actions should take into account activities addressed by other initiatives such as the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service and Copernicus Emergency Management Service, and provide added value. Actions should envisage resources for clustering with other projects relevant to cultural heritage funded under previous, current and future Horizon 2020 calls within Societal Challenge 5. Proposals should also pay attention to the special call conditions for this topic.
Expected Impact:
The project results are expected to contribute to: