Tale of Two Ecosuburbs in Freiburg, Germany

Abstract

This paper compares two ecosuburbs of Freiburg, Germany, created over the past 10 years and similar in many respects except for provision of parking. Both are transit-oriented developments designed as family-friendly live–work–play places, composed of mixed-use commercial and residential buildings meeting ecological best practices. Both suburbs have similar high density, are located about 3 km from the city center, and have excellent transit and bicycling connections. Rieselfeld followed the German convention of one parking spot per residence, while Vauban was designed by environmentalist citizen–activists to support car-free living. Parking cost and location were unbundled from housing, with parking spots provided at construction cost in garages on the periphery of the Vauban district. Demand was strong for this pedestrian- and bicycle-oriented housing, and residents used these modes at a higher rate. Fewer households in Vauban owned cars, and car-owning households were observed to drive less often. Travel behavior data showed that residents of Rieselfeld had higher rates of transit use in an otherwise typical modal split, while Vauban's residents had an extremely low share of cars and a high share of bicycles. These differences were attributed in part to Vauban's more restrictive parking policies.

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