The Green City

Freiburg im Breisgau is located in the southwest corner of Germany in the Black Forest, approximately 25 miles from the French border. The city is a university town and as such is filled with a well informed citizenry. Most people know the city of Freiburg for leadership in the field of environmental sustainability, specifically alternative energy sources. In addition to all the policy, research, development and manufacturing done in Freiburg, the city plays host to 'solar tourists' from all over the world and is the home of the International Solar Energy Society, a not for profit group that "supports its members in the advancement of renewable energy technology, implementation and education all over the world."

This city promotes environmental sustainability and has offered incentives to the residents to update older buildings with the latest technologies. The city core has been closed to automobile traffic since 1973 when the unique 13th century water channels, or Bächle, were reopened for all to use. The fresh water that runs rapidly along the sides of the walkways provide a fun place to cool off after a long walk through the city or a hard day at school.

Cobblestone streets and walkways have been restored to their former state with modern touches in order to accommodate necessary parking signage.

Before I left the United States I read an article in the New York Times about the Vauban neighborhood in Frieburg. We were fortunate enough to get a guided tour from one of the City Planners that had worked with the neighborhood and knew it quite well. The neighborhood operates as a car free zone with most needs being met within a short walk, bike or tram ride. Energy is generated for the majority of the homes and businesses by solar stations and heat is provided by a central plant that burns wood chips harvested (sustainably of course) from the nearby Black Forest. It is an upscale neighborhood full of row houses and green spaces for children to play. Their challenge will be to shift built resources to accommodate an aging population if those residents decide to stay in place as the young children grow up and move on.

Even the tram lines were treated as a greenbelt which is a great way to manage run off water as we got to witness live and in person during the morning's downpour.

The second neighborhood we toured was Rieselfeld; a former 'sludge farm' or sewage processing area. When the city decided to develop the land, they discovered that minimal clean up was required making it a much less expensive place than originally thought. By cleaning up the top few meters of topsoil, the city was left with a blank canvas on which to plan a new neighborhood. Most buildings were constructed in such a way that they could be transformed to meet the needs of a changing population. As the residents age, schools can become office space or senior centers and open space is good for everyone.

The plan called for 50% of the housing to be available as social (or affordable) housing, but as the neighborhood was executed they found that the demand was not quite as high as they originally thought. Some of the zoning was changed to accommodate row housing instead. Similarly to the Vauban neighborhood, the housing is connected by a network of green space and two-thirds of the acreage was converted to a nature preserve for all the residents to enjoy. While this neighborhood is much larger (about double the number of residents as the Vauban) they seem to have done a better job accommodating all ages, incomes and family types. The City Planner that led the tour through this area said that there was housing for both seniors and disabled people in the neighborhood as well as 25% of the housing considered affordable.

The Rieselfeld neighborhood contains goods and services for its residents, including a school and culture center. Near the central plaza a gym was constructed under a hill in order to preserve the green space for everyone to use and enjoy. This also helps with storm water run-off along with green roofs and more green tram-ways. One of the final open corner lots (there are two) is being held for a grocery store to anchor the neighborhood. In most cases in the United States, it is the developer that needs to make their investment back who owns that land. They may build whatever makes the most money whether it is the 'right' decision or not. In this case, the city both owns the land and has the resources to be patient and wait for the right development.

The residents all pitch in to keep the area nice looking and trash free. Public areas are adopted by families or buildings, planted and decorated according to what they think will look nice. Most are filled with lavendar, rosemary and other greenery. The one below had a nice collection of painted stones around its border. Each courtyard is managed cooperatively by residents of the buildings that surround it with a mandatory play area for any children.

Finally, where the neighborhood meets the nature preserve, the tram track curves around the last building on the block and returns to central Freiburg, stopping and starting at each kiosk to deposit its load of men, women and children within a short walk of their final destination.

Just another day in the Green City.