Freiburg as a green city

Freiburg as a Green City A bout Freiburg General Information Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Located in the extreme south-west of the country, Freiburg straddles the Dreisam River, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain. One of the famous old German university towns, and archiepiscopal seat, Freiburg was incorporated in the early 12th century and developed into a major commercial, intellectual, and ecclesiastical centre of the upper Rhine region. The city is known for its ancient university and its medieval minster, as well as for its high standard of living and advanced environmental practices. The city is situated in the heart of a major wine-growing region and serves as the primary tourist entry point to the scenic beauty of the Black Forest. According to meteorological statistics, the city is the sunniest and warmest in Germany. http://www.freiburg-home.com/about-freiburg/1 Table : General information of Freiburg http://www.freiburg.de/index.html Administration Basic statistics Other information Country Germany Area 153.07 km2 Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) State Baden-Wüttemberg Elevation 278 m Licence plate FR District Urban district Population http://www.statistik-bw.de/Veroeffentl/Statistische_Berichte/3126_10001.pdf 224,191 (31 December 2010) Postal codes 79098–79117 City subdivisions 41 districts Density 1,465 km2 Website www.freiburg.de  Fig. : Location of Freiburg in world’s map http://diffloth.com/wp-content/uploads/global/world.jpg Fig. : Location of Freiburg in Germany‘s map http://www.postleitzahl.org/baden_w%C3%BCrttemberg/images/karte_freiburg_im_breisgau.png Fig. : Map of Germany, Baden Wüttemberg, Freiburg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Baden-W%C3%BCrttemberg_FR_(town).svg/300px-Baden-W%C3%BCrttemberg_FR_(town).svg.png Fig. : Freiburg City Map 2011 http://stadtplan.freiburg.de/mapbender/frames/index.php?PHPSESSID=h8vg51jdoju55fm69rkimqkar5uq3edr&gui_id=stadtplan History of Freiburg Freiburg was founded by Konrad and Duke Bertold III of Zähringen in 1120 as a free market town; hence its name, which translates to "free (or independent) town" – the word "frei" meaning "free" and Burg, like the modern English word borough, was used in those days for an incorporated city or town, usually one with some degree of autonomy. However, the German word "Burg" also means "a fortified town" as in Hamburg. Thus, it is likely that the name of this place means a "fortified town of free citizens". This town was strategically located at a junction of trade routes between the Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea areas, and the Rhine and Danube rivers. In the year 1200, Freiburg's population numbered around 6,000 people. At about this time, under the rule of Bertold V, the last duke of Zähringen, the city began construction of its Freiburg Münster cathedral on the site of an older parish church. Begun in the Romanesque style, it was continued and completed 1513 for the most part as a Gothic cathedral. In 1218, when Bertold V died, the counts of Urach assumed the title of Freiburg's count. The city council did not trust the new nobles and wrote down their established rights in a document. At the end of the 13th century there was a feud between the citizens of Freiburg and their lord, Count Egino II of Freiburg. Egino raised taxes and sought to limit the citizens' freedom, after which the Freiburgers used catapults to destroy the count's castle atop Schloßberg, a hill that overlooks the city center. The furious count called on his brother-in-law the Bishop of Strasbourg, Konradius von Lichtenberg, for help. The bishop answered by marching with his army to Freiburg. According to an old Freiburg legend, a butcher named Hauri stabbed the Bishop of Strasbourg to death on July 29, 1299. It was a Pyrrhic victory, since henceforth the citizens of Freiburg had to pay an annual expiation of 300 marks in silver to the count of Freiburg until 1368. In 1366 the counts of Freiburg made another failed attempt to occupy the city during a night raid. Eventually the citizens were fed up with their lords, and in 1368 Freiburg purchased its independence from them. The city turned itself over to the protection of the Habsburgs, who allowed the city to retain a large measure of freedom. Most of the nobles of the city died in the battle of Sempach (1386). The patrician family Schnewlin took control of the city until the guildsmen revolted. The guilds became more powerful than the patricians by 1389. In 1457, Albrecht VI, Regent of Further Austria, established Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, one of Germany's oldest universities. In 1498, Emperor Maximilian I held Reichstag in Freiburg. In 1520, the city ratified a set of legal reforms, widely considered the most progressive of the time. The aim was to find a balance between city traditions and old Roman law. The reforms were well received, especially the sections dealing with civil process law, punishment and the city's constitution. In 1520, Freiburg decided not to take part in the Reformation and became an important center for Catholicism on the Upper Rhine. In 1536, a strong and persistent belief in witchcraft led to the city's first witch-hunt. The need to find a scapegoat for calamities such as the Black Plague, which claimed 2,000 area residents (25% of the city population) in 1564, led to an escalation in witch-hunting that reached its peak in 1599. A plaque on the old city wall marks the spot where burnings were carried out. The 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries were turbulent times for Freiburg. Through battles in the Thirty Years' War (at the beginning of this war there were 10,000-14,000 citizens in Freiburg; by its end only 2,000) and other conflicts, the city belonged at various times to the Austrians, the French, the Swedish, the Spanish, and various members of the German Confederacy. In the period between 1648 and 1805, it was the administrative headquarters of Further Austria, the Habsburg territories in the southwest of Germany, when the city was not under French occupation. In 1805, the city, together with the Breisgau and Ortenau areas, became part of Baden. In 1827, when the Archdiocese of Freiburg was founded, Freiburg became the seat of a Catholic archbishop. On October 22, 1940, the Nazi Gauleiter of Baden ordered the deportation of all Baden's Jews, and 350 Jewish citizens of Freiburg were deported to the southern French internment camp of Camp Gurs in the Basses-Pyrénées. They remained there under poor conditions until the majority of the survivors were sent to their deaths at Auschwitz on July 18, 1942. The cemetery for German Jews who died at Camp Gurs is maintained by the town of Freiburg and other cities of Baden. A memorial stands outside the modern synagogue in the town center. The pavements of Freiburg carry memorials to individual victims in form of brass plates outside former residences, including that of Edith Stein. Freiburg was heavily bombed during World War II. First, in May 1940, Luftwaffe airplanes mistakenly dropped approximately 60 bombs on Freiburg near the train station, killing fifty-seven. Later on, a raid by more than 300 bombers of the RAF Bomber Command on 27 November 1944 destroyed a large portion of the city center, with the notable exception of the Münster, which was only lightly damaged. After the war, the city was rebuilt on its medieval plan. Fig. : Freiburg after the 2nd world war http://freistaatbaden.bplaced.net/Geschi43.gif It was occupied by the French Army in 1945, and Freiburg was soon allotted to the French Zone of Occupation. In December 1945 Freiburg became the site of government for the German state Badenia, which was merged into Baden-Württemberg in 1952. The French Army maintained a presence in Freiburg until 1991, when the last French Army division left the city, and left Germany. On the site of the former French Army base, a new neighborhood for 5,000 people, Vauban, was begun in the late 1990s as a "sustainable model district". Solar power is used to power many of the households in this small community. http://www.freiburg-home.com/about-freiburg/2 Fig. : Freiburg city map 1650 http://file1.npage.de/003299/89/bilder/freiburg11.jpg Fig. : Freiburg city map 1905 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Freiburg_B%C3%A4chle_(1905).jpg/220px-Freiburg_B%C3%A4chle_(1905).jpg Fig. : Freiburg city map 1935 http://www.ianbyrne.free-online.co.uk/germaps/freiburg/shell35.jpg Fig. : Freiburg city map 2012 http://stadtplan.freiburg.de/mapbender/frames/index.php?PHPSESSID=h8vg51jdoju55fm69rkimqkar5uq3edr&gui_id=stadtplan The above Figures show the Freiburg City growth in consecutive years, 1650, 1905, 1935 and now in 2012. Social Cultural Freiburg Because of its scenic beauty, relatively warm and sunny climate and easy access to the Black Forest, Freiburg is a hub for regional tourism. The longest cable car run in Germany, which is 3.6 km, or about 2.25 miles (3.62 km) long runs from Günterstal up to a nearby mountain called Schauinsland. Fig. : Freiburg Bächle http://www.buehler-zwetschge.de/FreiburgBaechle.jpg, http://cfile221.uf.daum.net/image/1918012049F94F2C0A7393 The city has an unusual system of gutters (called Bächle) that run throughout its centre. These Bächle, once used to provide water to fight fires and feed livestock, are constantly flowing with water diverted from the Dreisam. These Bächle were never used for sewage, as such usage could lead to harsh penalties, even in the middle-ages. During the summer, the running water provides natural cooling of the air, and offers a pleasant, gurgling sound. It is said that if you fall or step accidentally into a Bächle, you will marry a Freiburger, or 'Bobbele'. The Augustinerplatz is one of the central squares in the old city. Formerly the location of an Augustine monastery which became the Augustiner Museum in 1921, it is now a popular social space for Freiburg's younger residents. It has a number of restaurants and bars, including the local brewery 'Feierling', which has a Biergarten. On warm summer nights, hundreds of students gather here. At the centre of the old city is the Münsterplatz or Cathedral Square, Freiburg's largest square. A farmers' market takes place here every day except Sundays. This is the site of Freiburg's Münster, a gothic minster cathedral constructed of red sandstone, built between 1200 and 1530. The Freiburg Münster is noted for its towering spire. Fig. : The Historical Merchants Hall of 1520-21 http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7006/6633938963_8d6910228b.jpg, http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/58857321.jpg, http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wEuzkMHRrtQ/TV0VnH9rFdI/AAAAAAAADTw/7SjqmYPUVGE/s1600/piros.jpg_effected.jpg The Historisches Kaufhaus, or Historical Merchants Hall, is a Late Gothic building on the south side of Freiburg's Münsterplatz. Constructed between 1520 and 1530, it was once the center of the financial life of the region. Its façade is decorated with statues and the coat of arms of four Habsburg emperors. Fig. : Altes Rathaus-Freiburg http://Altes_Rathaus_(Freiburg_im_Breisgau)_4610.jpg Fig. : Schlossberg hill- Freiburg http://img.onoffice.de/smart20/Objekte/CMI/435/Titelbild_3145_original.jpg The Altes Rathaus, or old city hall, was completed in 1559 and has a painted façade. The Platz der alten Synagoge "Old Synagogue Square" is one of the more important squares on the outskirts of the historic old city. The square was the location of a synagogue until it was destroyed on the Kristallnacht in 1938. Zum Roten Bären, the oldest hotel in Germany, is located along Oberlinden near the Schwabian Gate. To the east of the city centre, the Schlossberg hill provides extensive views over the city and surrounding region. The castle (Schloss) from which the hill takes its name was demolished in the 1740s, and only ruins remain. However Schlossberg retained its importance to the city, and 150 years ago the city fathers opened up walks and views to make the mountain available to the public. Today, the Schlossbergbahn funicular railway connects the city centre to the hill. Saint George is the Patron Saint of Freiburg.Badische Zeitung is the main local daily paper, covering the Black Forest region. http://www.freiburg-home.com/about-freiburg/4 Population The Figure below illustrates the population distribution in Germany. As can be seen the density in the East comes out much smaller in this map and the large proportion of this density is concentrated in Berlin. However the East has always been the smaller part of the new German nation, the number of people living there has reduced significantly compared to the West. Fig. : Population Density in Germany http://www.deutsche-mittelgebirge.de/Deutschlandkarte_Bevoelkerungsdichte_klein.jpg Age of the Population on 1.1.2001 and 1.1.2011 in Freiburg The statistical bar chart below compares the German population distribution in different group ages. Although the largest part, 43.3%, of Freiburg’s population is between the ages of 18 and 45 it is illustrated significantly that the number of people from 18 to 45 are reduced from 45% to 42 %. This fall in the number of the people belonging to this group age might have impacts in the service sector since the largest number of jobs in the service sector, including the university, hospital, city and state administrations, and financial institutions have an average age of 40.8 years. Fig. : Age of the Population on 1.1.2001 and 1.1.2011 in Freiburg http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1156633_l1/index.html /Auswertung des Einwohnermeideregisters- Amt für Bürgerservice und Informationsverartelung . Freiburg Population density on 1.1.2011 in the municipalities of Freiburg (Inhabitants per ha populated area) Figure below represents the population density in Freiburg. Among the cities of Freiburg only 3 regions have population density more than 100 residents per hectare which are Vauban, Old stuehlinger and oberau. http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1156633_l1/index.html / Auswertung des Einwohnermeideregisters- Amt für Bürgerservice und Informationsverartelung . Freiburg Fig. : Population density on 1.1.2011 in the municipalities of Freiburg Population growth since 1995 in Freiburg Germany is the land of chances and facilities and it is common to see people who want to study, work or just live there. The immigration may play major roles in the Nation's growth in the near future. Table below shows that increasing the population of foreigners about 11.9% has encouraged the number of German population to follow an upward trend about 53.22%. Table : Population growth since 1995 in Freiburg Year German Foreigners inside 1955 124455 2422 1960 136372 2600 1965 146338 5982 1970 157760 8200 1975 166139 13021 1980 161409 12712 1985 167044 14260 1990 170029 17738 1995 173702 24794 2000 175519 26936 2005 184374 29624 2010 190696 31228 Fig. : Population growth since 1995 in Freiburg http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1156633_l1/index.html / Statistisches Landsamt Baden Wüttenberg, Amt für bürgerservice und informationsverwalatung. Freiburg Freiburg’s partners throughout the world “Twinnings are capital whose interest is friendship and understanding” – thus did a large German newspaper describe the essence of partnerships between cities many years ago. That motto is valid to this day. Even in an age when rapid means of transport and modern communication have made communication easier, and decreased distances to countries that were once far away, twinnings are indispensable. They are an eminent part of the “local foreign policy” of the city hall. After World War II, many city twinnings were installed as a way towards understanding and peaceful collaboration among neighbours. One generation back, many of them had been at war with each other. At the same time, connections between cities were important tools in the construction of a communal European house. This was the intention guiding the foundation of Freiburg’s first twinnings – with Besançon in France, Innsbruck in Austria, Padua in Italy, Guildford in England, and later with Granada in Spain. Thus, one shared aspect of history abides among Freiburg and its twin cities on the European continent: all were once part of the Habsburg Empire. A generation later, Freiburg cast its gaze beyond the borders of Europe. In the late 1980s, the city almost simultaneously entered twinships with Madison in the USA and Lviv in the Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. These agreements were meant as a contribution to the East-West détente at the local level, and as a step toward peaceful international cooperation. Similarly, the friendship agreements with Matsuyama in Japan and with Isfahan in Iran were initiated with the aim of cultivating communication among people of different cultures and religions in a globalising world. The founders wanted to enable a process of getting to know each other. For a long time there has been a tight network of civil connections between Freiburg and its twin cities, which grew from the official contacts among political representatives. It is being sustained and perpetuated by clubs, youth groups, athletes, cultural institutions, trade organizations and many others. They are helping people from different countries to get to know each other, to abolish prejudices, and have enabled the beginnings of countless personal friendships. From these contacts, economic relations as well as cooperatives among city administrations and cultural groups have sprung. To this day, that is the paramount goal of our city twinnings. Freiburg’s friendship with the city of Wiwili in Nicaragua illustrates the aim of its “local foreign policy” exceptionally well. At the foreground of this cooperation, there is humanitarian aid in the areas of public health, education and the development of economic subsistence through agriculture. These connections, which sprang from private initiative, have led to friendly exchange among the two cities. This brochure aims to provide you with information about Freiburg’s network of twinnings and friendships with other cities throughout the world, and also about the cooperation with the other cities that were founded by the Dukes of Zähringen more than a millennium ago in Germany and Switzerland. With this book we mean to encourage you to discover our partner cities for yourselves. Each of Freiburg’s nine twin cities is a piece of home to any Freiburger. I invite you to acquaint yourselves with them, and in so doing to increase the “interest” of the “capital” of our municipal partnerships. http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1143623_pcontent_l2/index.html Table : Freiburg Partner Cities http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1145583_pcontent_l2/index.html City  Country   Year Freiburg Germany Besançon France 1959 Innsbruck  Austria 1963 Padua Italy 1967 Guildford Great Britain 1979 Madison USA 1987 Matsuyama Japan 1988 Lviv (Lemberg) Ukraine 1989 Granada Spain 1991 Isfahan Iran 2000 Friendship City Wiwilí Nicaragua 1988 Sustainable Environmental in Freiburg Freiburg’s Nature Freiburg is a green city. 43% of the borough area is woodland (6,398 hectares). The City of Freiburg itself has 5,139 hectares, making it one of the largest municipal woodland owners in Germany. The city’s woodland is both the lungs and green heart of the city and attracts approx. four million visitors a year, making it the most important recreational area near the city. Its location on the rim of the Black Forest, its natural abundance (90% of the city’s woodland is a designated landscape conservation area, 15% is set aside as a biotope) and its outstanding infrastructure (450 km of woodland walks, sports, adventure, and instructional trails, shelters, barbecue and play areas, look-out towers, bathing lakes etc.) – all this makes it a major element in the appeal of Freiburg to tourists. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Fig. : District area in 2009 according to actual use of Freiburg Statistisches Landsamt Baden Wüttenberg, Amt für bürgerservice und informationsverwalatung. Freiburg Fig. : Conservation Plan www.freiburg.de Climate protection and environmental policy in Freiburg Freiburg can with some justice call itself one of the birth places of the environmental protection movement. The successful campaign against the proposed nuclear power station in nearby Whyl over thirty years ago became one of the founding legends of the Green Alternative Movement. This turned Freiburg into a rallying point for students, anti-nuclear activists and advocates of a new social order who together forged a colorful alliance with those citizens of Freiburg who espoused conservation values and ethics. The legacy of this is the social climate and municipal policy of the Freiburg of today. Initially, there were only individual visionaries and eccentrics, small groups and associations searching for alternatives to atomic energy. However, as early as 1986, the year of the Chernobyl disaster, the city council publicly advocated the abolition atomic energy and solar power as the new principal source of energy. This was also the year in which Freiburg became one of the first cities in Germany to establish an Environmental Protection Office. Freiburg is one of the greenest cities in Germany, but not just because of its policies and politics. No other city of comparable size has more woodland and vineyards and such a diversity of landscapes, which range from the wild eminences of the Black Forest down to the alluvial woodland by the River Rhine. Given its rural setting and civic style, Freiburg unites all the positive connotations of green – a not inconsiderable factor in its appeal. Even in the 19th century, visitors to Freiburg were captivated by a sense of being “on the high road to Italy” and experiencing the “first sensations of the south” – all thanks to the Baden region’s mild, sun-kissed climate, the relaxed way of life of the city’s residents and not least to the delights of the local cuisine and cellarage. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Table : Climatologically Information http://www.weather-and-climate.com/ Month Mean Temperature oC Mean Total Rainfall (mm) Mean Number of Rain Days Daily Minimum Daily Maximum Jan -0.1 5.1 53.1 10.6 Feb 0.5 6.8 54.0 9.9 Mar 3.6 11.3 58.3 11.1 Apr 5.9 15.0 73.7 11.6 May 10.3 19.8 102.8 12.4 Jun 13.2 22.7 109.0 12.1 Jul 15.5 25.3 99.2 11.2 Aug 15.4 25.2 84.0 9.6 Sep 12.0 21.0 75.9 9.2 Oct 7.9 15.1 75.3 10.7 Nov 3.4 9.1 70.8 10.6 Dec 1.1 6.3 73.6 11.2 Fig. : Average minimum and maximum temperature over the year 62 Fig. : Average monthly precipitation over the year (rainfall, snow) 62 Fig. : Average monthly hours of sunshine over the year http://www.weather-and-climate.com/ Sustainable Economy in Freiburg Green markets: Environmental industry and research In Freiburg, environment management and science play a disproportionately large role in addition to medicine and biotechnology. With nearly 12,000 employees (i.e. almost 3% of all people in employment), in 2,000 business entities, this sector injects some 650 million Euro into the value-added chain, adding much to the positive image of the region. In the solar sector alone, the level of employment (currently over 2,000 and approx. 100 business entities) is three to four times the national average, according to a 2009 potential study. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Sun as an Economic Factor: Solar Competence In terms of both economy and ecology, Freiburg has been most successful in the fields of research into and the marketing of renewable energies. A mere glance at the cityscape confirms this. Solar panels abound everywhere – on the Badenova Stadium and City Hall, on the roofs of schools, churches and private houses, on frontages and towers and, amazingly, even on the prison. Wind turbines rear up from the Black Forest hills. With more than 1,800 hours of sunshine per year and an annual radiation intensity of 1,117 kilowatts (kW) per square meter, Freiburg is one of the sunniest cities in Germany. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Fig. : Solar power plant on the roof of the Badenova Stadium http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/ap/5a5aa50b-ca54-4dd3-aa6d-d3af97f60847.grid-6x2.jpg Fig. : Solar Factory http://www.solar-fabrik.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pressebilder/fabrik/Aussen2.JPG Source: Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik u. Messe GmbH The waste management concept “Z’ Fryburg in de Stadt / sufer isch’s un glatt“ – “In Freiburg’s city, it’s clean and pretty” is the couplet composed by poet Johann Peter Hebel over 200 years ago. These days, waste separation is practically a sport here, if not a way of life. The zeal displayed by Freiburg residents as they sort their rubbish into grey, green, yellow and brown bins is the stuff of legend. As a result the volume of non-recyclable rubbish per capita is markedly less than the state and national averages. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Returnable container principle and financial incentives The city itself sets a good example by using paper of which approx. 80% has been recycled. Since 1991 waste avoidance is rewarded by a system of financial incentives: grants for using textile baby diapers, discounts for collective waste disposal schemes and for people who compost their green waste. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Treatment of non-recyclable waste Since 2005, the region‘s non-recyclable waste is incinerated in the Thermal Non-recyclable Waste Treatment and Energy Generation Plant in the Breisgau Industrial Park 20 km to the south of Freiburg. This plant, known by its German initials TREA, practices waste disposal safety by maintaining high environmental standards. It supplies electricity to some 25,000 households. From mid 2011, heat from TREA will be decoupled in favor of a biomass center to be created nearby where horticultural green waste will be reconstituted as wood-like chippings for incineration in wood-fuelled heat and power stations. In the fermentation plant of Biogasund Kompostbetrieb Freiburg (BKF) GmbH, organic waste is converted into compost and biogas. The energy generated from the fermentation of organic waste covers 2% of Freiburg’s electricity needs. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Fig. : Fleet of modern vehicles http://www.fwtm.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/show/1174533_l1/Umwelt_Abfall.jpg Sustainable Urban Development in Freiburg Land Use Plan Nowadays, cities face a challenge, because they need to organize the use and development of shrinking land resources in ways which are environmentally and socially acceptable. Land Use Plan 2020, which has been in force since 2006, has pinned its colors on cutting land use as much as possible and covers approx. 30 hectares less building land than the predecessor plan. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Fig. : Freiburg’s Parking Management www.freiburg.de Fig. : Muensterplatz 1960 72 Fig. : Munsterplatz 2000 72 Freiburg’s Cathedral Square was used as a car park in the 1960s. During the mid-1970s cars were banned. It is now a lively pedestrian zone with an open air market. Sustainable Transport in Freiburg: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital, Ralph Buehler and John Pucher, Fig. : The Wiwili Bridge, Freiburg 74 Both lanes were reserved for motor vehicles. The former tram line crossing this bridge was removed in the 1960. In the 1990s the bridge was closed for cars and is now used exclusively by bicycles. Sustainable Transport in Freiburg: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital, Ralph Buehler and John Pucher, Fig. : Klara street , Freiburg,1960s 74 Fig. : Klara street ,Freiburg,1980s 74 Klarastrasse was a street designed for cars, in the 1960s. Since traffic calming in the late 1980s, car traffic has dropped and it is now a safe and quiet neighborhood street.74 Landscape Plan Landscape Plan 2020 sets out the view of the city’s council and administration on the development of nature and landscape, the environment and recreation until 2020. Targeted nature conservation measures will expand valuable living space for humans and animals and form links between them to create a network of biotopes across the city. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Fig. : Freiburg’s Landscape Plan 2020 http://www.freiburg.de/download/landschaftsplan_gesamt.pdf Open space concept The effect of the Land Use and Landscape Plans 2020 has also been to revise the open space concept with reference to the future design of the Freiburg cityscape. Quality open spaces are important factors in the cultural, historical and aesthetic identity of Freiburg. Whereas once new local parks such as the Seepark and Dietenbach were at the top of Freiburg’s agenda, now greater attention is being paid to interlinking the open spaces within and with the city’s built environment and to adapting the green spaces to demographic and climatic changes. The journey itself is the reward. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Fig. : Open space concept Freiburg http://www.365grad.com/images/cities/freiburg1.jpg Urban climate concept In an era affected by climate change, the task of creating a healthy and balanced urban climate gets ever more challenging. The urban climate analysis of 2003 has led to greater emphasis in the Land Use Plan 2020 on keeping cold air pockets and urban ventilation corridors inside and outside the city free of buildings. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Innovative energy concepts In Freiburg, energy savings principles and ‘solar optimization’ enter into drafts and plans at an early stage, as exemplified by the alignment and siting of buildings or Freiburg’s mandatory efficiency house standards. Energy concepts are drafted for all building areas and the most environmentally compatible energy supply option is specified contractually, provided this can be achieved at the same or relatively low additional expense (max. 10%). Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Land value The price collection is also the basis for the determination of soil guideline values​​.Land values ​​are of the evaluation teams in Baden-Wuerttemberg every two years to determine (in each case straight to the end of each calendar year) covering the surface and in the community to make local custom. Land values ​​are average land values ​​per square meter for an area with essentially the same value-determining characteristics. Among building land values ​​shall be determined by the value that would result if the soil would be undeveloped. Land values ​​are not market values​​.Land values ​​are the transparency of the land market and are also based on the fair market value determination. http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1143390_l1/index.html?modul=ll&pl=1253925!0 Fig. : Land values plan, Freiburg 2011 www.freiburg.de Citizen involvement Land Use Plan 2020 may be regarded as a successful example of citizen involvement. The first step, in 2003, was the definition of visionary goals by groups of citizens, which one year later were adopted by the city council as framework conditions for Land Use Plan 2020. These were ecological compatibility, social justice and economic viability. In 2005, citizens formed 19 working groups to discuss each of the potential construction areas covered by Land Use Plan 2020. The city council determined the key points of the plan in the light of the outcome of these discussions. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Fig. : citizens’ Association plan, Freiburg 2011 www.freiburg.de Fig. : City architectural master plan for Rieselfeld http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GtARMzzlKmQ/T1XrgJbK_GI/AAAAAAAACSU/zrMmEYppqOM/s1600/Rieselfeld-Freiburg+3939.bmp  Sustainable Mobility in Freiburg Fig. : Freiburg’s transport systems http://www.google.de/imghp?hl=de&tab=wi Freiburg’s traffic and transport concept In 1969, the City of Freiburg adopted its first General Traffic and Transport Plan. Since then, guaranteeing mobility without adverse impact on the natural world and the environment has been one of the declared aims of its urban traffic and transport policy. This policy, which has drawn attention across the country, promotes environmentally friendly modes of travel (on foot, by bicycle and local public transport). And it is not the only reason for Freiburg receiving the first European Local Public Transport Award in 1995. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Traffic and transport policy successes Between 1982 and 1999 the volume of cycling measured as part of the total inner-city traffic volume rose from 15% to 27% and that of local public transport rose from 11% to 18%. During the same period, the volume of car journeys fell from 38% to 32%. Compared with other major cities in Germany, the private car density in Freiburg (423 vehicles per 1,000 persons) is extremely low. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Fig. : Transport policy successes in Freiburg Preventive measures to cut traffic The primary goal of Freiburg’s traffic and transport policy is to cut traffic levels. This is achieved by designing a compact city that can be crossed quickly, has strong local centers, develops along the main public transport arteries and gives preference to inner-city development over growth in its outskirts. All the major urban development decisions are subject to the overriding principle that traffic must be prevented. The measures are varied – for example, the construction of the new districts of Rieselfeld and Vauban both easily accessible by the light rail system, the development of inner-city university sites and the market and local center concept which gives priority to basic shopping facilities in the immediate neighborhood over supermarkets on Greenfield sites. 87 Environmentally compatible modes of transport The traffic prevention strategy is underpinned by the encouragement of modes of transport compatible with urban life and the wider environment. More than three decades of growth of the relevant infrastructures have favored walking and cycling and the use of local public transport, hence the prominence of bicycles and the bike taxis so beloved of tourists in today’s cityscape.87 Parking space management and further development of the road network Managing motorized road traffic in a way that is compatible with the city is Freiburg’s third transport policy objective. There is continuous management of the parking spaces in many parts of the city. A system of financial incentives and charges, multi-storey car parks and parking guidance systems relieve residential areas near the city center of motorized traffic and parking space searches. The road network is being developed further to eliminate bottlenecks in particular and to divert away from residential areas any motorized traffic that cannot be totally relocated. Cornerstones of traffic and transport policy Since the introduction of the first pedestrian zone in 1973, Freiburg’s traffic and transport policy is distinguished by the subtle but continuous onward development of further co-ordinated measures. • The former tram system has been converted into a modern urban light railway system by the addition of new lines, increased service frequency and riding comfort and reaching almost all major parts of the city. 65% of all residents live within the catchment area of one of the system’s stops. • The Breisgau S-Bahn (urban railway) designed in co-operation with neighboring boroughs enables good and rapid connections between the city and the region and at the main railways station links into other regional and mainline rail services. • In 1970, there were hardly any cycle tracks. Today, there is a compact, approx. 420 km–long network of cycle tracks and lanes and significantly improved facilities for cyclists including over 9,000 bicycle parking racks, 6,000 of which are in the city, links with local public transport (‘Bike and Ride’), the city cycle route map, and more. • Large parts of the city center are designated pedestrian zones and have been completely re designed. The coming years will see further such upgrading of the urban environment. • Pedestrians and cyclists also benefit from the extensive traffic calming measures in residential areas. By now, 90% of Freiburg’s residents live on streets where the speed limit is below 50 km/h. Green city Freiburg, www.freiburg.de/greencity Mobility in Freiburg Parking Parking in car-parks and underground car-parks (parking system) Parking zones within the city limits Park and Ride Residential Parking Motorcycle parking spaces http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1146398_l1/index.html Fig. : Parking guidance system downtown http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1149093/index.html By Bus and Train Freiburg and its surroundings have a very well-developed network of public transport, therefore buses and trains get to the city and region quickly, safely and comfortably. Freiburg even won the first “European transport cost” In 1995. http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1146384_l1/index.html By Bicycle Freiburg is a city of cyclists.  Freiburg has more than 400 kilometers of cycling network. Freiburg's population has made the bike, the second most popular mean of transportation.  About 30 percent of the roads within the Breisgaustadt are traveled by Bike. Imagine what would happen, if more than 35,000 cyclists, who travel daily to and through the downtown, all drive cars.  Fig. : Mobility by Bicycle in Freiburg http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1146345_l1/index.html In contrast to motorized traffic, bike riding don’t cause climate warming, carbon dioxide emissions, No stress-generating traffic noise or annoying traffic jams. Bike-riders are environmentally responsible and promote their health. Freiburg cycling Concept 2020 Information on current cycling measures Cycling in one-way streets Shards hotline “for cycling Freiburg” Cycling and parked in the pedestrian zone Cycling and parked in the pedestrian Bike and ride spaces(bike boxes) Bike station “mobile” Disturbing scrap wheels Maps for cycling in and around Freiburg Bicycle taxi http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1146345_l1/index.html Fig. : Cycling in Freiburg 96 On foot Freiburg's city center is the city of Pedestrians. Almost the whole city is Freiburg’s pedestrian zone. All shops are easily and comfort accessible on foot. The city railway brings you directly in the pedestrian zone. The people of Freiburg walk around 181000 ways on a normal day. In the city center, 69 percent of the ways are traveled on foot. In addition to the density and variety of shops, restaurants and historic buildings in city center, number and atmosphere of pedestrians makes this part more attractive. Fig. : Pedestrian signs in Freiburg http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1146343_l1/index.html Not only the Freiburg’s city center is nice to walk, but also other city districts are pedestrian-friendly and invites you to have a good walk and shopping. For children The city of Freiburg has been paying a long time attention to a child-friendly transport planning. Due to the negative effects of increasing car traffic in the cities from the 60s, the children suffer from the loss of open spaces. An important tool to control this, was and is the traffic calming. A first crucial and far-reaching step in 1973 was the nationwide establishment of the pedestrian zones. Since late 1990, all residential districts of Freiburg, with the exception of the main roads, are Tempo-30-Zones. Thereby 90 percent of the inhabitants of the city live in a pedestrian friendly environment. At certain points, for example Playgrounds, there were different activities planned to control the speed and to improve the quality of stay. http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1146645_l1/index.html Fig. : Playground Traffic Sign95 By Taxi Car taxis Bicycle taxis http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1164569_l1/index.html Getting to Freiburg Transport links are very good to Freiburg. Freiburg is accessible by Car, Train, Plane and Bus. The A5 motorway and trunk roads B3 and B31 open up the region for long distance service. The Rhine Valley line with ICE stop in Freiburg is one of the major European north-south links. From the Rhine port of “Breisach”, there is a very good water road connection (about 20 miles to the town center). The Euro-Airport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg can be reached via shuttle bus service in 55 minutes. Freiburg has a private airfield, the airfield of Freiburg. http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1199857_l1/index.html Fig. : Restrictions on motor car traffic in Freiburg http://www.ecotippingpoints.org/our-stories/indepth/germany-freiburg-sustainability-transportation-energy-green-economy.html Traffic safety in Freiburg There are projects and researches done to improve the safety of transportation and traffic in Freiburg. Some of them are: Focus on cycling+ Fields of action Studies on bicycle safety Tips for motorists and cyclists more safety Trixi project levels to avoid the blind spot Traffic safety on light rail lines + stations http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1224021_l1/index.html Fig. : Focus on Cycling99 Freiburg’s transport master plan The city of Freiburg im Breisgau distanced itself from 1960s car-oriented transport policy, at an early time. The General Transport Plan of 1979 favored the environmentally modes of transport. In the overall traffic concept of 1989, the main goal was set to avoid traffic by a coordinated urban development and transport policy. Freiburg as "city of short distances" with alternative attractive and environmental friendly transport offers, like walking, bike riding and using public transportation. Motor traffic should be formed as environmental-friendly and city-compatible as possible, while noise, exhaust gases and dangers should be minimized. These goals were corroborated in the 2008 adopted transportation development plan “VEP 2020”. Specific action areas to achieve these goals are: Development of public transport (buses, light rail, regional rail) Development of cycling infrastructure (cycle lanes or strips, parking facilities, etc.) Improvements for pedestrian traffic (paths, accessibility, staying and waiting) At the same time the motorized private transport should be managed by: Concentrating the roads and transport axes as possible away from residential areas Traffic calming plans Parking management http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1146874_l1/index.html The Freiburg traffic plan- a success These goals and plans are now for many years consistently and successfully pursued and implemented. The following graphic illustrates the development of the shares of the different transport modes, the so-called modal split: Fig. : Freiburg Modal Split of Freiburg http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1146874_l1/index.html It is seen that the proportion of foot traffic has decreased significantly (this is a nationwide, social trend), while cycling and public transport have increased their share significantly and the car traffic is decreased. Despite population growth and increased mobility, it has been successful not to let the absolute number of car trips to increase, but to cover and collect the increased immobility with the environment-friendly means of transport. Because of this great success, Freiburg transport policy has become known nationwide and introduces a positive image of Freiburg. Among the experts, even Freiburg is well known as a successful example of environmental-friendly transport planning, achieved by scientific studies.101 The graph below represents and upward trend in the number of motor vehicles and passenger cars from 1980 to 2010. By taking a detailed look at the data a sharp and sudden decrease in the lines will be observed. The reason of this sharp decrease might be investment in the city with about 9,000 bicycle parking spaces which includes spaces for cycle trailer parking (as there are many in the city). Cycling stations have been created which combine a 1,000-space bicycle parking garage with a repair shop, tourist information, and a café Fig. : The number of motor vehicle since 1980 in Freiburg 105 In other words encouraging the people to use the public transportation systems specially bicycle helped to decrease the traffic volume from 2007 to 2009. In the Figure below the urban local areas in Freiburg versus the passenger cars per 1000 inhabitants are presented. Based on the this bar chart the passenger cars per 1000 habitants (legal persons, companies, authorities and others is significantly high in compare with others. Passenger car density in the urban districts on 1.1.2011 – Freiburg http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1156633_l1/index.html /  References What is a Sustainable City , Richard Heinberg , The Edmonton Sustainability Papers – May 2010, Discussion Paper http://www.scalefreeintl.com/Scale-Free-Systems-Sustainability-Environmentally-Safe-Going-Green.asp The Green City , Sustainable homes, Sustainable suburbs – Nicholas Low, Brendan Gleeson, Ray Green and Darko Radovic , p-13 How Green is Your City? , Warren Karlenzig with Frank Marquardt, Paula White, Rachel Yaseen and Richard Young , 2007, p-6 ELCA ( European Landscape Contractors Association ) Research Workshop, Green City Europe- for a better life in European cities , www.green-city.eu, www.die-gruene-stadt.de Green Urbanism and its Application to Singapore, Peter Newman, March 2011, ARI (Asia Research Institute) – National University of Singapore. Asia Research Institute Working Paper Series No.151 www.newscorporation.com Sustainability on the Urban Scale: ‘Green Urbanism’, Professor Dr Steffen Lehmann, Chair - International Conference on Sustainable Architectural Design and Urban Planning Hanoi Architectural University, May 15-16, 2007, Hanoi, Vietnam Green Urbanism, Learning from European Cities- Timothy Beatley The Principles of Green Urbanism. Transforming the Cite for Sustainability . Steffen Lehmann, Aug 2010 Originally developed by the Canadian Centre for Sustainable Transportation (http://cst.uwinnipeg.ca Originally developed by the Canadian Centre for Sustainable Transportation (http://cst.uwinnipeg.ca). Sustainable Transportation Indicators, Paper 09-3403 -2009 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting Sustainable Transportation Indicators -A Recommended Research Program For Developing Sustainable -Transportation Indicators and Data- 10 November 2008- Sustainable Transportation Indicators Subcommittee of the Transportation Research Board (ADD40 [1])- Subcommittee Chair Todd Litman ([email protected])- Paper 09-3403 -2009 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting http://www.gdrc.org/uem/sustran/sustran-principles.html http://www.freiburg-home.com/about-freiburg www.freiburg.de www.freiburg.de/greencity http://www.freiburg-home.com/about-freiburg/1 http://www.freiburg.de/index.html http://www.statistik-bw.de/Veroeffentl/Statistische_Berichte/3126_10001.pdf http://diffloth.com/wp-content/uploads/global/world.jpg Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany, Ralph Buehler, John Pucher, and Uwe Kunert,Prepared for the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program,April 2009 http://www.postleitzahl.org/baden_w%C3%BCrttemberg/images/karte_freiburg_im_breisgau.png Transport policies, travel behavior, and sustainability: A comparison of Germany and the U.S. , Ralph Buhler , New Brunswick, New Jersey[May 2008] Transport Policies, Automobile Use, and Sustainable Transport: A Comparison of Germany and the United States, Ralph Buehler, Journal of Planning Education and Research published online 8 April 2010, DOI: 10.1177/0739456X10366302 Determinants of transport mode choice: a comparison of Germany and the USA, Ralph Buehler, Journal of Transport Geography 19 (2011) 644–657 “Determinants of Mode Choice: A Comparison of Germany and the USA,” Transport Geography, in press.Ralph Buehler.2011 Transport Policies, Automobile Use, and Sustainable Transportation: A Comparison of Germany and the USA,” Journal of Planning Education and Research, Vol. 30, 2010, pp. 76-93.Ralph Buehler.2010 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Baden-W%C3%BCrttemberg_FR_(town).svg/300px-Baden-W%C3%BCrttemberg_FR_(town).svg.png http://stadtplan.freiburg.de/mapbender/frames/index.php?PHPSESSID=h8vg51jdoju55fm69rkimqkar5uq3edr&gui_id=stadtplan http://freistaatbaden.bplaced.net/Geschi43.gif http://www.freiburg-home.com/about-freiburg/2 Sustainable Transport in Freiburg: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital, Ralph Buehler and John Pucher , International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 5:43–70, 2011,Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC,ISSN: 1556-8318 print=1556-8334 online,DOI: 10.1080/15568311003650531 http://file1.npage.de/003299/89/bilder/freiburg11.jpg BMVBS 1991–2008; City of Freiburg 2009b, FHWA 1990–2008 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Freiburg_B%C3%A4chle_(1905).jpg/220px-Freiburg_B%C3%A4chle_(1905).jpg http://www.ianbyrne.free-online.co.uk/germaps/freiburg/shell35.jpg http://stadtplan.freiburg.de/mapbender/frames/index.php?PHPSESSID=h8vg51jdoju55fm69rkimqkar5uq3edr&gui_id=stadtplan http://www.buehler-zwetschge.de/FreiburgBaechle.jpg http://cfile221.uf.daum.net/image/1918012049F94F2C0A7393 http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7006/6633938963_8d6910228b.jpg http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/58857321.jpg http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wEuzkMHRrtQ/TV0VnH9rFdI/AAAAAAAADTw/7SjqmYPUVGE/s1600/piros.jpg_effected.jpg http://Altes_Rathaus_(Freiburg_im_Breisgau)_4610.jpg http://img.onoffice.de/smart20/Objekte/CMI/435/Titelbild_3145_original.jpg http://www.deutsche-mittelgebirge.de/Deutschlandkarte_Bevoelkerungsdichte_klein.jpg http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1156633_l1/index.html /Auswertung des Einwohnermeideregisters- Amt für Bürgerservice und Informationsverartelung . Freiburg http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1143623_pcontent_l2/index.html Statistisches Landsamt Baden Wüttenberg, Amt für bürgerservice und informationsverwalatung. Freiburg http://www.weather-and-climate.com/ http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/ap/5a5aa50b-ca54-4dd3-aa6d-d3af97f60847.grid-6x2.jpg http://www.solar-fabrik.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pressebilder/fabrik/Aussen2.JPG Source: Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik u. Messe GmbH http://www.fwtm.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/show/1174533_l1/Umwelt_Abfall.jpg http://www.freiburg.de/download/landschaftsplan_gesamt.pdf http://www.365grad.com/images/cities/freiburg1.jpg http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1143390_l1/index.html?modul=ll&pl=1253925!0 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GtARMzzlKmQ/T1XrgJbK_GI/AAAAAAAACSU/zrMmEYppqOM/s1600/Rieselfeld-Freiburg+3939.bmp http://www.google.de/imghp?hl=de&tab=wi http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1149093/index.html http://www.ecotippingpoints.org/our-stories/indepth/germany-freiburg-sustainability-transportation-energy-green-economy.html http://www.sustrans.org.uk/assets/files/scotland/civilising-the-streets.pdf http://www.freiburg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1156633_l1/index.html / Data collected by author from recent national travel surveys. City of Freiburg 2007c; Gutzmer 2006, Socialdata 2009; Statcan 2009; U.S. Census Bureau 2009 reiburg as a Green City References