Cultural heritage is widely acknowledged as a key factor for sustainable development. Cultural Networks are catalytic in promoting cultural tourism destinations and contribute considerably to the protection of traditional cultural events. Furthermore, they create a state of increasing awareness of visitors and host communities on the advantages of supporting cultural events. Therefore, there is a need to enrich regional policies to further support local authorities to realize the full potential of cultural heritage. CultureLands main objective is to spark a vision, which will inspire local authorities to set tangible goals and proceed to strategic planning of specific actions for achieving these goals, enhancing this way the prospects of sustainable cultural tourism in the CB area. The project contributes to the overall objectives of the Cross Border Cooperation Programme, by improving the effectiveness of local and regional development policies in the area of culture, heritage, tourism and sustainable development. Furthermore, it encourages economic growth, cohesion and increased competitiveness. Cultural planning allows us to identify and leverage the communitys cultural resources and to pave a road for the future. With an integrated vision for arts and culture, the projects Beneficiaries can work collaboratively to establish thriving cultural destinations within the CB area. The vision, guiding principles, goals and recommendations of our project will form a Cultural Cross Border Network in order to reveal a wide array of cultural opportunities for growth and a strong commitment to realize the full potential cultural destinations. A Cultural Cross Border Network will identify and leverage the individual communities cultural resources and integrate culture across all facets of the eligible area. We will a road map of opportunities and ideas regarding cultural growth cultural planning to produce places where people want to live, work and visit. Ultimately, CultureLands will can contribute to economic development, cultural vibrancy, stakeholder engagement and an enhanced sense of a community network. Our Networks innovative actions entail: a) Cultural mapping, a systematic approach to identifying and recoding a communitys tangible and intangible cultural resources. b) Defining cultural resources by embracing a broad definition that includes creative cultural industries, cultural spaces and facilities, natural and cultural heritage, festivals and events, and community cultural organizations. c) Adopting a cultural conscience by establishing processes to integrate culture as a consideration across all aspects of CB planning and decision-making. d) An effort to collaborate with existing, active local networks and work collectively to pose future directions for sustainable growth.
