Introduction to the WGs activities and tasks for the first meeting

Brief presentation of CA 18110 by introducing the challenges and giving a view of problems and constraints related to the UBH conservation. In particular, UBH conservation is seen as a cost and a barrier to regional and urban development. Then, it illustrates research and capacity building objectives, keywords, and areas of expertise relevant for the Action, activities planned, an overview of the activities' flow for the year-one, the current network extension (24 MSs) and the Action management organization. The presentation provides, in addition, a first definition of Living Lab (Protected spaces for developing and experimenting new practices, and promotes external landscapes, such as local communities independent from vested interests and the lock-ins created by lobbying and regulatory capture). Finally, it introduces the tasks to be discusses in the next WG meetings, that is: - Surveying participants' experiences; - Knowledge-base for case-studies", with investigation methodology, history background, bibliography, main stakeholders, problems, perspectives; - Organising STSMs in the 4 selected UBH sites, supported by local proposers ; - Communication and dissemination; - Living Labs preparation; - Training School