This handbook builds on the lessons distilled from 24 case studies on soft territorial cooperation in different parts of Europe that were undertaken in the scope of the ESPON ACTAREA project on “Thinking and planning in areas of territorial cooperation”. Case studies focused on analysing and characterising soft territorial cooperation areas regarding - the strategic purpose they pursue; - approaches to region-building they take; - organisational structures they have set up and resources they draw on; - strategies to motivate actors to participate and overcome barriers to cooperation they have developed; and - the policy frameworks and strategies under which they have been create.