Freiburg, Germany

By Molly Moran Freiburg, Germany Freiburg, Germany is a city renowned for its sustainability and is often refer to as solar city. It has innovated polices in place that require residences to participate in a more sustainable lifestyle. Although it is an exceptional example of green living Freiburg is not without its faults. Like all cities Freiburg is constantly evolving and is not the definitive end all solution for sustainable living. The city is still in the process of building, policy changing, and researching what works and what doesn't. On a more physical scale Freiburg is located in the south Western corner of Germany very close to the border of France and Switzerland. The city also borders Germany's Black Forest, the Black Forest is a mountain range thick with conifer trees, it plays an important role in Freiburg's past and present. The climate is moderate with an average of 2 to 3 inches of rain fall per month. The average temperatures range from a high of 79°F (26°C) in July to a low of 28°F (-2.2°C) in January. The city is also a university city with approximately 24,000 students which is about one eight of the total population. The university being the main source of philosophical ideals and Freiburg's relatively young and single population. The transportation of the city is mainly a public tram system followed by bicycles, with cars and parking garages essential shunned by the residents. Now looking at Freiburg straight through the eyes of Kent E. Portney and the 'Taking Sustainable Cities Seriously index' we can compare the city to the others Portney compared in his book. The index lists thirty-four points under seven categories the system works by answering yes (one point) or no (zero points) to the thirty-four questions. Sustainable Indicators project 1. Y Indicators project active in last five years 2. Y Indicators progress report in last five years 3. Y Does indicators project include "action plan" of policies/ programs? Freiburg should have some annual or system of reports recording its progress since it first began to rebuild sustainably after WWII; not to mention the recent publication done on the city for its progressive energy conservation policies. "Smart Growth" activates 4. N Eco-industrial park development As far as my sources have lead Freiburg is not a major industrial city, but a major university city based in academics. 5. Y Cluster or targeted economic development After the devastation of WWII while the world was quickly building economic security Freiburg focused on the past aesthetic of their economic center and build slower than the rest of the Europe, but there was still a focus on economic development. 6. Y Ecovillage project or program 7. Y Brownfield redevelopment (project or pilot project) Technically, since the majority of the downtown was leveled during an air raid in war and the city has over a nine hundred year history the majority of the city is a brown field. Land use planning programs, policies, and zoning 8. Y Zoning used to delineate environmentally sensitive growth areas 9. Y Comprehensive land use plan that includes environmental issues 10. Y Tax incentives for environmentally friendly development This section dealing with land use and policies complies with Freiburg for several reasons. Bordering the Black Forest, an ancient forest, is a responsibility that requires a delicate balance of growth and protection. Within the city the rule for car owner ship reduce C02 imitations and is also coupled with a fee waiver is a resident declare they will never own a car. Transportation planning programs and policies 11. Y Operation of inner-city public transit (buses and/ or Trains) The tram lines make public trans portion throughout the city accessible. 12. Y Limits on downtown parking spaces Car are frowned upon within the city and have all parking garages on the outskirts of town to avoid cars and park downtown. 13. N Car pool lanes (diamond lanes) Cars are avoided so car pool lanes may be unnecessary. 14. Y Alternatively fueled city vehicle program As before cars are avoid but there are car share programs. 15. Y Bicycle ridership program The vast majority of the resident own or have access to a bicycle and bicycle storage. Pollution prevention and reduction efforts 16. Y Household solid waste recycling Recycling is encouraged, but not enforced. 17. N/A Industrial recycling Freiburg is more of a university city then an industrial city, but I would imagine there would be a industrial recycling program. 18. N/A Hazardous waste recycling Same with Hazardous waste recycling; I would imagine there would be plans or policies in place for it, but the research I have done did not cover it specifically. 19. Y Air pollution reduction program There are public and political polices in place to reduce CO2. 20. N/A Recycled product purchasing by city government 21. N/A Superfund site remediation 22. N/A Asbestos abatement program 23. N/A Lead paint abatement program Points 20 though 23 did not crop up in my research of the city specifically. Energy and resource conservation/ Efficiency initiatives 24. Y Green building program 25. Y Renewable energy use by city government 26. Y Energy conservation effort (other than Green building program) 27. Y Alternative energy offered to consumers (solar, wind, biogas, etc.) 28. Y Water conservation program The energy and resource conservation section is a portion where Freiburg shines. The recent articles on the city are usually focus on these aspects. Building code is constantly updating to reduce energy consumption. The city government is very involved, the city's nick name is the solar city, wind turbines are present in the vicinity, and water runoff is considered for all new buildings going up in Freiburg. Organization/ administration/ management. coordination/ governance 29. N Single governmental/ nonprofit agency responsible for implementing sustainability The effort put into Freiburg involve a multi level approach utilizing city government, nonprofit, and public participation so no single source is responsible for the development of the city. 30. Y Part of a city-wide comprehensive plan 31. Y Involvement of city/ county/ metropolitan council 32. Y Involvement of mayor or chief executive officer 33. N/A Involvement of the business community 34. Y General public involvement in sustainable cities initiative (public hearings, "visioning" process, neighborhood groups or associations, etc.) The multi-level approach utilizing government policies, public participation, local businesses, and regional indentify make the continuation of the idealistic sustainable lifestyle possible. So according to Portney's index Freiburg scored a twenty-four of thirty-four points with seven points as indeterminate, more than likely yes points. These points would put the city at a 31. This rates the city one point higher than the leading city in Portney's study. Seattle tops out at 30, Scottsdale, San Jose at 26, and Santa Monica and Portland at 25, and so on down the line. This doesn't mean that Freiburg should be the end-all case study of sustainable living, but one of several works in progress on the right path towards sustainable cities.