The aim is to support the transformation of historic city centres afflicted by physical decay, social conflicts and with a poor quality of life into Creative and Sustainable Districts, through new sustainable environmental, social and economic processes.

ROCK develops and applies an innovative circular systemic approach to connect different actors, places of Cultural Heritage value and systems, at a European level as well as at a local level. ROCK has focused on historic city centres as real laboratories to demonstrate how cultural heritage can be an engine of regeneration, sustainable development and economic growth. It has applied a series of role-model practices in three testing sites in Bologna, Lisbon and Skopje.

Over almost four years, the ten ROCK cities have been developing innovative solutions that demonstrate how cultural heritage can be the driving force behind urban sustainability. They have been supported by project partners, such  as service providers, universities, network of enterprises, companies and development agencies, to test and advance tools and approaches aimed at shaping sustainable and cultural heritage led urban regeneration.

Some of their innovative training solutions include an incubation programme to boost green and creative business creation in each city and eco-innovation workshops to stimulate sustainable business innovation via exchanges of know-how between green SMEs and ecopreneurs from all across Europe. The EU contributed with € 9,873,585 to the overall budget of the project.