Good practice in the conservation of urban settlements and vernacular architecture along with their surrounding landscapes can serve as examples for improving governance, economic development and tourism management. However, good innovative practice examples are often difficult to uncover and harder to comprehend. Many good practice occur simply by chance, are the work of dedicated individuals or regionally specific. Some of the greatest challenges are uncovering the formulas that make these good practice successful and then adapting them for implementation elsewhere. The HISTCAPE project is addressing these challenges by searching for good practice through site visits, research, outreach to the professional community and a rigorous system of evaluation. The project partners will then validate good practice transfer by implementing six test pilot actions in regions throughout Europe. The identification of good practice and communication of implementation strategies are important for the protection of Europe´s historical assets and rural landscapes.

Editor's Note: More information about the HISTCAPE project is available at or by consulting the PDF brochure attached below.