Welcome to Germany's best-known environmentally friendly neighborhood
and a successful experiment in green urban living. The Vauban
development – 2,000 new homes on a former military base 10 minutes by
bike from the heart of Freiburg – has put into practice many ideas that
were once dismissed as eco-fantasy but which are now moving to the
center of public policy.
With gas prices well above $6 per gallon
across much of the continent, Vauban is striking a chord in Western
Europe as communities encourage people to be less car-dependent. Just
this week, Paris unveiled a new electric tram in a bid to reduce urban
pollution and traffic congestion.
"Vauban is clearly an offer for
families with kids to live without cars," says Jan Scheurer, an
Australian researcher who has studied the Vauban model extensively. "It
was meant to counter urban sprawl – an offer for families not to move
out to the suburbs and give them the same, if better quality of life.
And it is very successful."
There are numerous incentives for
Vauban's 4,700 residents to live car-free: Carpoolers get free yearly
tramway passes, while parking spots – available only in a garage at the
neighborhood's edge – go for €17,500 (US$23,000). Forty percent of
residents have bought spaces, many just for the benefit of their
visiting guests.
As a result, the car-ownership rate in Vauban is
only 150 per 1,000 inhabitants, compared with 430 per 1,000 inhabitants
in Freiburg proper.
In contrast, the US average is 640 household
vehicles per 1,000 residents. But some cities – such as Davis, Calif.,
where 17 percent of residents commute by bike – have pioneered a
car-free lifestyle that is similar to Vauban's model.
Pictures of Vauban, Freiburg:
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| by adeupa de Brest |
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| by adeupa de Brest |
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| by adeupa de Brest |
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