Freiburg: Sustainable Model City District Vauban

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Country:

a) Western Europe

b) Germany

Language:
Type:	Policy, 1
Area:	District/Quarter, 100,000 - 1 mill.
Actors:	Local government
Funding:	Local government, European Union
Topics:	Architecture and construction
	Energy
	Housing (and new settlements)
	Information and public participation
	Land use and -planning
	Mobility and transport
Objectives:	Improve living conditions
	Increase district heating
	Increase non-motorised mobility
	Increase public awareness
	Increase use of ecological building materials
	Increase use of public transport
	Reduce car mobility
	Reduce car parks
Instruments:	Integrated planning approach
	New management structure
	Public participation

Abstract:

After the withdrawal of Allies forces derelict military areas became a special issue in urban development in German cities. In the city of Freiburg an area called Vauban was left by the French Army and became the location for planning and implementation of a new district according to sustainability principles. After an intensive planning process and awareness campaigns between 1995 and 1996 the implementation phase started in 1997. Key areas of ecological development target issues of mobility, energy, housing and social life. The policy which was presented as a German model of urban development to the HABITAT II conference in 1996 can be regarded as a best practice case for the following reasons:

• inclusion of environmentally compatible aspects in an early planning stage;
• initiation of participatory process over and above legal norms;
• institutionalisation of public participation;
• close cooperation between municipality, public utilities, project management and local residents;
• pioneering policy in the domain of car-free residential areas;
• broad public awareness and public relations approach.

Background and objectives

In 1992 the French Army withdrew its forces from Vauban base in Freiburg as laid down in the agreement on German reunification. This freeing of public land provided the City of Freiburg with the opportunity to develop a new residential area based on sustainability principles. It was agreed that the new policy should be supported by a broad public awareness approach. The Forum Vauban association which was set up in 1994 as a non-governmental body is therefore financially and administratively supported by the City of Freiburg in order to act as a coordinator for citizens' participation.

Right from the start all issues (mobility, energy, housing, social aspects etc.) were discussed in working groups which were open to residents. Raising public awareness was regarded as a key component in planning an environment-oriented district as people have to be convinced that such action not only serves their interests from an ecological point of view but also helps to save money in the long term.

Furthermore it is assumed that a change in people's belief system will bring about an acceptance of other policies (e.g. car-sharing, public transport) which are not directly related to the process of building a new house. Acceptance of the overall structure of the district is likely to create a new awareness of community-based activities and, therefore, people will be prepared to take responsibilities for further development of the district (e.g. in cooperation with the newly established neighbourhood centre).

Against this background the draft for district development aims to tackle the following issues:

• balance between working and living;
• conservation of old trees and biotopes along a bordering creek;
• priority for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport;
• building a co-generation plant and a short-distance heating system;
• construction of residential buildings with a low energy standard;
• opening a district centre with shops for daily needs;
• opening a primary school and day nurseries;
• creation of public green spaces;
• diversity of building shapes;
• division of land into small lots;
• balance between social groups;
• adaption towards families and children.

As integration of diverse topics requires new thinking in core areas of urban planning and development the Forum Vauban association set up working groups which deal with innovative and / or conflicting matters in the fields of architecture, legal issues, finance, social matters, women's affairs, transport and energy. These forums were open to experts and to all interested parties, and they provide a vital input to the strategy-building process.

Implementation

Project date and status

The urban development process started in 1993 after the withdrawal of the French Army in 1992. In 1997 the implementation phase began and it is due to last until the year 2006.

Strategy

The building of a new district from scratch requires a well considered planning process as it breaks new grounds in a large number of areas. Strategic goals in urban development in the Vauban area include the following aspects of sustainable city planning:

• creation of a residential area with as little motorised traffic as possible has to be named as an outstanding target. Parking spaces are planned at the periphery, and persons or households without a car will receive financial benefits;
• in the energy sector, co-generation on the supply side and low-energy building standards on the demand side will be implemented;
• housing has to be affordable and individual interests of potential tenants will be included in planning (e.g. flexible ground plans);
• social life will be stimulated by opening a neighbourhood centre. The City has committed itself to using one of the old barracks buildings in order to open a meeting place for local residents.

The overall target is to develop a residential area for 5,000 people and to create 600 jobs located in an area measuring 38 hectares.

Activities

So far activities focus mainly on the pre-implementation phase of creating a sustainable model city district. Vauban district planning process can be divided into three phases of activities:

1. elaboration of an action plan for various environment-related fields and public relations activities in order to attract potential residents: issues of mobility, energy, housing and social life were taken up by working groups. Matters are discussed by interested parties work mainly on a voluntary basis, and by special teams ("Büroteams") which employ professionals from various environment-related fields. In addition, external expertise was recruited with the help of project funding from the Federal Environmental Foundation. In April 1996 Forum Vauban started a public relations campaign to inform potential new residents about living conditions in a new district ("Wohnfrühling in Freiburg"). In addition interested parties had an opportunity to put forward individual proposals and suggestions for improvement. Public relation measures were not limited to a few events but took place throughout the year as part of the city's mobile information service on municipal activities in general ("Infomobil");
2. information events for potential tenants plus participation in the planning process and detailed elaboration of individual concepts as preparation for the first building phase: this part of the planning process was designed to bring together interested parties who are willing to live in the new district. At this stage it was important to involve potential residents directly as initiation of measures takes place immediately before the commencement of construction. People had the chance to become acquainted with future neighbours or members of newly established cooperative housing associations ("Baugemeinschaft") and they were able inform themselves on various aspects of ecological building methods. The detailed elaboration of concepts mainly included the clarification of legal and organisational aspects;
3. implementation of the first construction phase and preparation of further building activities: in April 1998 the construction phase started. The focus was shifted from planning to monitoring. In cooperation with the municipal building department Forum Vauban channeled information on the progress of work to political decision makers, new residents and other parties, e.g. from the public utilities. Issues such as construction of streets, shape of buildings or design of public, community-oriented infrastructure were continuously supervised as there is little experience on how to incorporate such measures into a construction process that is predominantly oriented towards sustainable principles. Further activities took place in promoting renewable energy sources. In addition, outcomes were continuously reviewed in order to learn best practice arrangements for the second construction phase.

Partners

The process of urban development in the Vauban district is actively supported by the Forum Vauban association which was approved as official coordinator of citizens' participation by the city in early 1995. Since 1996 the Federal Environmental Foundation ("Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt") has supported the association with a grant for a research project on the impact of citizens' participation in urban planning. This project aims to bring together know-how from difference sources (enterprises, planners, architects, scientists, futures tenants etc.) in order to improve the concept of citizen participation. It also gives advice to interested parties in the process of implementation. In the long run experts’ knowledge is intended to lay the foundation for a community centre ("Stadtteilbüro").

The EU LIFE project on the implementation process in Vauban district is supported by the City of Freiburg, the municipal public electricity company, the Genova housing association and the ICLEI network.

Financing and resources used

The LIFE project has a budget of approx. 3 million DM, of which 45% is funded by European money.

Freiburg’s public energy utility company will invest 8 million DM to built a new district heating system for 2,000 dwellings which cater for approx. 5,000 inhabitants.

Results and impacts

The Vauban planning process is based on participation of potential residents over and above legal norms (“erweiterte Bürgerbeteiligung”) and accordingly development of the original planning depends on progress made in each phase along the ten year timescale. Up to mid-1998 the following results have been achieved:

1. elaboration of an action plan for various environment-related fields and public relations activities in order to attract potential residents: The publicity campaign ("Wohnfrühling in Freiburg") had good response of 1,500 interested parties (either families or single persons) and by July 1996 more than 350 questionnaires with individual proposals and requests were returned to Forum Vauban (that is equal to approx. 800 persons);
2. information events for potential tenants plus participation in the planning process and detailed elaboration of individual concepts as preparation for the first building phase: after successful campaigning all potential tenants had a regular update on the planning process via the bi-monthly bulletin "Vauban actuel". With the support of Forum Vauban 15 corporative housing associations ("Baugemeinschaften") with 5 to 15 families were founded. In addition, the Genova housing association was established, consisting of 36 households (90 persons) which aims to implement a social housing project for people on low incomes as well as to be a model for the construction of new buildings by utilising the whole range of ecological building methods;
3. implementation of the first construction phase and preparation of further building activities: in April construction of 130 out of approx. 430 dwellings started which are intended to built in the first phase of the new Vauban district. It is likely that the first residents will move into their new flats in early 1999. In addition, construction of a local kindergarten will also be completed at the beginning of 1999. Regarding the second construction phase the planning process has entered stage one and three private housing associations have already been founded.

Besides energy and sewage issues, the topic of car-free living constitutes an outstanding feature of the new Vauban district. Contrary to existing Fedral building regulations, households do not have to pay for or subsidise car parking as they can choose between car-free living (“autofreies Wohnen”) and living without a car space (“stellplatzfreies Wohnen”). Both options are designed to keep cars out of residential areas by offering the following alternatives:

• A car-free household has to make a one-off payment of 6,800 DM (plus an annual administration fee of 70 DM) to the car-free living association which was founded in February 1998. The association acquires land which can be used as car space if a household wishes to change its mobility pattern. In the mean time the parking prescribed space of 8 square metres can be used to provide playgrounds, gardens, sports fields etc. The regulation is in force for cars and motor cycles with a cubic capacity above 50 ccm. It is laid down in the property contract, and car-sharing is allowed.
• A household without a car parking space but which owns a car has to 'buy' car parking space from the municipal property owner (Freiburger Kommunalbauten GmbH) who own a multi-storey car park on the outskirts of the district. The purchase price for one car space is 33,700 DM.

In case of a change of property these arrangements guarantee that new residents have an option to have a car if they want to have one. However, a household which decides to buy a car has to pay approx. 28,000 DM for a new car space plus a lump sum of 1,000 DM for administration. At present planners assume that existing cycle tracks and further upgrading of public transport (new bus routes and metro link by the year 2005) will help to achieve the goal of 75% car-free households within the district.

In the energy sector the municipal utility aims to exploit the potentials of central heat and power systems by constructing a new district heating system which will contribute to the city’s energy balance with a reduction of CO2 emission by 3,000 tons. Furthermore, the promotion of solar energy is greatly supported by the City's "Solarkonzept 2000 plus" which, in combination with the funding programme of Land Baden-Württemberg, offers a grant of up to 40% of total investment up to a limit of 8,000 DM per house on solar installations for heating water and generating power.

Regarding sewage infrastructure a new system ("kombinierte Vakuumentwässerung") will be installed. Contrary to conventional sewage treatment it separates waste water into rain water, grey water and other waste water which, in consequence, brings down water consumption by the re-use of waste water and by closing the nutrient cycle.

Barriers and conflicts

In Vauban planning is conducted according to principles that treat participation of potential residents over and above legal norms (“erweiterte Bürgerbeteiligung”) as a vital input. As responsibilities for this process lie with the private Forum Vauban association, there is a tendency for this organisation rapidly to become an agent of the local residents and, in consequence, representing their interests instead of serving general public matters in general. A similar conflict also affects the membership itself since if, for example, the association is in favour of a car-free planning approach, it may neglect the interests of members who are car owners.

However, contracting out from the municipal planning process in this way has a number of important benefits:

• enlarged transparency as the association is responsible to members;
• interests of local residents and potential new residents can be articulated at an early stage of planning and this helps to influence matters in informal ways;
• members of the association actively contribute to the elaboration of topics as they are offered a non-official forum to articulate their interests. In addition, they are supported by experts from different environmental fields.

Lessons learned And transferability

From the experience learned in Vauban district it becomes obvious that a sophisticated planning procedure has at least two dimensions. On the one hand the assessment has to take into account the outcome in respect of local or national standards (e.g. building regulations) and the other hand it affects transferability of similar standards to places with various political, economic, social and environmental conditions and different traditions in urban planning.

In mid-1998 the Forum Vauban association has evaluated the results of planning. The following lessons are central:

1. Even good concepts have to be explained and discussed intensively with municipal officials, the City Council and the general public, and especially with future residents. This we learned from a less successful project for citizens participation in Freiburg. We managed to realise many of our ideas in the course discussing and cooperating with the relevant stakeholders.
2. Taking into account people's individual preferences is imperative. In contrast with other projects for traffic-reduced districts, in Vauban nobody is forced to sell their car in order to live in the area. However, there are strong incentives which make living without a car attractive.
3. There are various examples of car reduced districts, energy efficient building, citizen participation, housing co-operatives, neighbourhood centres: personal contact and visits are indispensable for successful learning. We learned from a conversation of military land in Tuebingen that good balance is vital for good city planning. So encouraging a good balance is a major benefit for us. It is one of the central aspects of sustainability."

(compare Forum Vauban e.V. 1998: Planning of a Sustainable Model City District in Freiburg, Germany, (ms.)

Furthermore one has to stress that the Vauban planning process has set new standards in environmental planning arrangements and citizens' participation and it is therefore unlikely that future projects will fall behind these standards.

With regard to transferability one of the project managers of the Forum Vauban association emphasises that the set of measures adopted in Freiburg can not necessarily be copied by other municipalities as different national building requirements and other framework conditions in urban planning may require different planning and implementation strategies (cp. Hermann, Laurenz / Epp, Christian / Sperling, Carsten 1996, p.620). Each country needs to develop its own arrangements. However, the feature of cooperative local planning is an outstanding characteristic of the Vauban case that can be transferred. Issues of awareness raising and integration of residents' individual interests have been put into practice in an exemplary manner. It is important to achieve a high level of motivation among potential residents as well as among local politicians and persons in charge of implementation.

Vauban’s model for urban planning will be presented at the EXPO 2000 world exhibition in Hannover.

Source of Information

Forum Vauban e.V. 1998: Planning of a Sustainable Model City District in Freiburg, Germany, (ms.)

Hermann, Laurenz / Epp, Christian / Sperling, Carsten 1996: Erweiterte Bürgerbeteiligung. Erfahrungen des "Forum Vauban" mit Modellstadtteil in Freiburg im Breisgau, in: der städtetag, Nr. 9, S. 617-621

Vauban actuel, issues 2/97 to 4/98

Vauban special 1998: Wohnen ohne eigenes Auto, Februar, (ms.)

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Population:

Project was added at 26.01.1999
Project was changed at 21.08.2001