INCREMENTAL

Cultural Heritage include tangible and intangible assets. According to the UNESCO definition, with intangible cultural heritage (ICH) we consider oral traditions and expressions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, traditional craftsmanship, etc. Because of globalization, industrialisation, demographic and environmental challenges, ICH - like any other type of heritage - risks damage, destruction and even disappearance. It's therefore more important than ever to invest in safeguarding strategies, because many of the ICH lacks a sustainable approach to its preservation and management and is in danger to be lost if not carefully preserved. On the other hand, recent new approaches to economy, tourism and social innovation encourage for ICH protection and valorization, jointly with actions to preserve the local cultural identity and the resilience of local communities to the tourism massification, the marginalisation, depopulation, etc creating new opportunities for jobs and growth. Additionally, recovering ancient techniques, skills and materials can help to fight against the brain drains and to contribute to citizens' well being.
INCREMENTAL Project aims at promoting a more comprehensive approach to cultural assets, focusing on ICH, for promoting innovative strategies and policies that are both working for their protection/valorization and for their impact on other sectors.
The partnership has a multivel approach, composed by Regional Authorities from IT, NO, PL, RO and GR, the Metropolitan area of Amiens-FR and the municipality of Gjirocastra-AL (discovery partner). In total 6 policies will be addressed by INCREMENTAL project to be improved for their management and revised in their content. Policies will combine the protection and valorization of ICH with tourism, cultural events and economy, this way contributing to the economic and social growth of the areas involved.