The sustainable urban district of vauban in freiburg, germany

Abstract

The university town of Freiburg, Germany has a well-deserved reputation as the European capital of environmentalism and sustainable architecture and urban design. The city is perhaps best known for the development of two model sustainable urban districts, Rieselfeld and Vauban, both of which integrate multi-modal transportation linkages, ecological storm water management, low-energy passive solar houses, combined heating and power (CHP) systems, mixed uses (both public and private), local schools and a variety of shops to meet everyday needs, thus reducing greatly the need for private car ownership.