Freiburg, a historic town in South-Western Germany, has been leading environmental policy and practice for over two decades in Europe, and its two urban extensions Vauban and Rieselfeld have generated great interest.
Vauban, a former barracks, is virtually complete with 5,000 residents. Rieselfeld, on the site of a sewage works, currently has 8,000 of a planned 10-12,000 residents. Both have low rates of turnover, and property values that match those in the centre. Both show how to cut energy consumption and car use, and create active communities.
Freiburg’s eco-town development came about through a combination of necessity and innovative thinking:
• Land for development is scarce. It is one of the few cities in Germany with a growing population, and has to build 850-1,200 homes a year to keep pace.
• Freiburg was rebuilt almost completely after the Second World War, on the principles of good urban design and landscaping, with a large traffic free centre and a 3,000 km network of light rail, buses and urban railways.
• The city government has been controlled by the Green Party for several decades, and has a history of environmental innovation dating from the mid-70s.
Topics associated with this project
Community engagement, Eco-town, Energy, Environmental, Housing, International, Neighbourhood, Transport