German neighborhood lives without cars

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. "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 $23,000. Vauban owes its existence, at least in part, to Freiburg, a university town that has a reputation as Germany's ecological capital. In the 1970s, the city became the cradle of Germany's powerful antinuclear movement after local activists killed plans for a nuclear power station nearby. The battle brought energy-policy issues closer to the people and increased involvement in local politics. At about the same time, Freiburg, a city of 216,000 people, revolutionized travel behavior. It made its medieval center more pedestrian-friendly, laid down a lattice of bike paths, and introduced a flat rate for tramways and buses. Environmental research also became a backbone of the region's economy, which boasts Germany's largest solar-research center and an international center for renewable energy. Little wonder then, that when the French Army closed a 94-acre base in 1991, a group of forward-thinking citizens took the initiative to create a new form of city living for young families. "We knew the city had a duty to make a plan. We wanted to get as involved as possible," says Andreas Delleske, then a physics student, who led the grass-roots initiative that co-designed Vauban. "And we were accepted as a partner of the city." In 1998, Freiburg bought land from the German government and worked with Delleske's group to lay out a master plan for the area, keeping in mind the ecological, social, economic and cultural goals of reducing energy levels while creating healthier air and a solid infrastructure for young families. Across Europe, similar projects are popping up. Copenhagen, for instance, maintains a fleet of bikes for public use that is financed through advertising on bicycle frames. But what makes Vauban unique, is that "it's as much a grass-roots initiative as it is pursued by the city council," says Scheurer. "It brings together the community, the government and the private sector at every state of the game."