Case Study: Vauban, Germany - ResourceSmart

Vauban, Germany
Community leadership delivering sustainable urban renewal
Snapshot
Location: 3km from the city centre of Freiburg in
southwest Germany.
Size: 38-hectare brownfield site comprising about
2,000 dwellings. Population is around 5,000 and the
precinct provides around 600 jobs.
Business model: Local government created
a managed market to achieve sustainability
outcomes in partnership with an innovative
approach to community property development and
a unique transport governance system.
Financing: Multi-faceted financing model involving:
- local government funding civil infrastructure
- traditional development model for some housing
- individuals forming construction communities to
fund clusters of housing and communal property.
Sustainability: Key components include:
- planning provisions that required very high
building efficiency, going beyond an already
progressive national standard
- local combined heat and power plant, fuelled by
natural gas and woodchips
- an integrated approach to car-free living leading
to strong reliance on walking or cycling
- solar hot water or PV panels on many residential
and commercial buildings
- a sustainable urban drainage system across the
district.
Critical success factors:
- Ownership of the land enabled the local
government to create a managed market to
achieve sustainability outcomes.
- Construction communities delivered mediumdensity
housing for groups of owner builders,
resulting in higher sustainability outcomes and
cost savings of up to 25%.
- Car-free households were exempt from the legal
requirement to providing parking space, and the
associated cost of this.
sustainability.vic.gov.au
Overview
Freiburg is known as Germany’s ecological capital. It is home
to many environmental research and development facilities of
international stature and has had a strong focus on walking,
cycling and public transport since progressively pedestrianising
from 1971 onwards.
Vauban, three kilometres from the Freiburg city centre, is a 38-hectare
brownfield development, comprising approximately 2,000 dwellings
and 600 jobs, on the site of a former French army barracks.
The main goal of the project was to implement a city district in
a cooperative, participatory way which meets ecological, social,
economic and cultural requirements. The city council has closely
managed the sale and redevelopment of the land to ensure best
practice environmental sustainability and social outcomes. This has
included strong community participation delivered through a notfor-profit
engagement organisation, Forum Vauban.
The project is an example of multi-faceted innovation, where
several public and private sector stakeholders reinterpreted
traditional developer roles and developed an overall delivery model
that achieved an integrated best practice sustainability outcome.
Vauban is most renowned for its unique status as a car-free suburb;
however, there are many other features that make it an important
example of a holistic approach to achieving environmental and social
outcomes. The emergence of co-housing projects or construction
communities, where a group of individuals with a common vision
for living cooperate to develop an apartment building on their terms,
played an important part at Vauban. These communities delivered
high-quality sustainability outcomes, whilst also developing a strong
sense of community.
The cohesive community atmosphere, coupled with the car-free
streets, has resulted in a high proportion of owner-occupiers,
particularly families with children. The majority of the housing is
aimed at the middle market. 10% of the development is social
housing supported by external social housing associations.
Planning for the district started in 1993 and, following three
development phases, build out was completed in 2006.
A managed market approach
The concept of a managed market approach to precinct-scale
development demonstrates a way for government to leverage the
benefits of private sector involvement in projects, while maintaining
control over outcomes.

Providing a series of incentives and regulatory requirements
can ensure desired outcomes are achieved, while providing the
right conditions for private sector entities to innovate. As the
owner of the land, the City of Freiburg was able to set ambitious
sustainability requirements. Community support for this vision
ensured that less sustainable development options with greater
short-term financial returns for commercial developers were not
given access to the site. Government set a clear and ambitious
vision for the sustainability outcomes. This provided the overall
management framework through which community groups,
commercial builders and other entities could freely innovate to
deliver the elements of the overall vision.
Figure 1: Vauban managed market
The main objective of the project was “to implement a
development in a cooperative, participatory way which meets
ecological, social, economical and cultural requirements”.
Car-free living and a strong preference for owner-occupiers
rather than investment properties were explicitly stated,
amongst others, as desired outcomes in the early stages of the
project. These became key influences on the development.
The City of Freiburg also required that buildings be constructed
to an energy standard that was well ahead of minimum
requirements. This standard was adopted as the national
standard across Germany six years later.
Construction communities – not-for-profit
developers
Construction communities were envisioned as part of
the development of the Vauban concept. Through the
master-planning process, the local council prescribed that
a large number of the sites within the broader Vauban
development would be reserved for co-housing projects.
Community as the developer
Meinhard Hansen, PassivHaus architect and resident of
Vauban, was involved in some of the first of Vauban’s
construction communities. One of the critical lessons he
took from this was the importance of a robust governance
structure and appropriate technical expertise. Identifying
a business opportunity in this, he set up a project
management company tailored to the needs of groups
wishing to build their own apartment building. Doing this has
led to a more streamlined development process, a reduced
chance of dissatisfaction amongst the membership of the
co-housing groups, along with a new area of business.
Building models for enabling sustainable precincts
Construction communities have become a popular concept
in Germany as a means of bypassing developers while still
capturing the economic benefits of construction at scale.
Vauban has seen a number of successful construction
community projects, leading to high-level sustainability
outcomes as well as developing a sense of community.
Some of the communities were formed by architects, others by
prospective residents planning varying levels of owner-building.
The role of the construction communities extended from the
planning and building process to recruiting additional members
in order to further increase economies of scale.
These communities were responsible for the detailed design of
their shared property, accommodating their specific individual and
collective needs and aspirations in a common plan, and pursuing
additional environmental and social objectives.
The formal cooperative established by the group has the
responsibility for financing, project management, cost control, and
project financial accounts. This body then generally becomes the
owners’ corporation upon project completion, as was the case in
most construction community projects at Vauban.
The financial risks involved in the project are shared by all
members of community according to their financial stake in
the project. Members also share the financial benefits. The
collective nature of this development model allows building
to take place on a larger scale, which for projects at Vauban
resulted in estimated cost saving of up to 25%. This includes
around a 10% saving from reduced risk and holding costs that
a developer would normally incur. 1
Historically, these communities evolved organically and developed
the concept for the site as a group. Some of these organic
communities encountered difficulties and conflict when making
decisions, sometimes even ending up in court to settle disputes.
An alternative model is where a project manager develops the
concept for the site and invites members through a prospectus.
Figure 2: Construction community development model (adapted
from Hans Jorg Schwander www.innovation-academy.de)
1. Meinhard Hansen, 12 May 2010, personal communication (interview)

Transparent cost for car parking
The development incorporates a variety of measures to
support residents to be car free, including streets that favour
walking and cycling over driving, access to high-quality public
transport, local provision of services such as shops and
schools, and a car-share scheme.
The physical and financial separation of car parking from
buildings has been an important component of the sustainable
transport strategy. Centralised garages provide parking for
residents and businesses within the precinct, removing parking
from almost all residential streets and private garages (see
Figure 3 below). Residents must choose to lease or purchase
a space as a separate cost to purchasing or renting their
property. This has made the cost of car parking an upfront,
separate, and optional expense for residents; one that many
choose not to pay. Car-free households save the substantial
costs of a parking space and other vehicle infrastructure that is
normally hidden in purchase or lease costs. The Association for
Car Free Living, a not-for-profit organisation established for the
purpose, manages this aspect of the development.
The centralised garages were built and financed by a
private firm largely owned by the City of Freiburg. They are
sold or leased to residents as individual car spaces by the
Association for Car Free Living. The community car park
did not receive any public financial support. Reducing the
number of cars in the precinct has also freed significant
additional space for more valuable land uses.
Figure 3: Vauban development plan
Government and community partnership
Local interest in the Vauban development was strong, and
the highly environmentally and socially aware community
was keen to see a development that reflected their values.
The City of Freiburg was committed to a flexible and
participatory approach that enabled its citizens to influence
the development. These relatively unique and site-specific
factors were essential in ensuring the viability of the precinct
project.
Forum Vauban, a citizens’ association with non-government
organisation (NGO status, was established. Forum Vauban
was contracted by the city to lead the participation of
residents, the elaboration of sustainability goals and carry
out public relations work. This allowed for extensive citizen
participation that went far beyond legal requirements
and enabled citizens to participate in every stage of the
development process. During the planning process, Forum
Vauban was a legal body sharing responsibility for the district
design by representing the wishes and needs of the future
inhabitants. This dynamic organisation also played a part in
the formation of many of the construction communities and
the Association for Car Free Living.
Forum Vauban was financed through membership fees,
donations, moderate economic income and public grants.

Key environmental and social
sustainability features
Energy supply
• A combined heat and power plant that burns wood chips
and gas provides electricity for around two-thirds of Vauban
and is connected to the district’s heating network.
• There are solar hot water or photovoltaic panels on many
buildings. Vauban is estimated to be one of the largest solar
districts in Europe.
Energy efficient design
• Planning provisions in Vauban required developers to
achieve a very high standard of efficiency, going beyond an
already progressive national standard.
• Some developers and individuals building in the precinct
went even further still building to the European standard of
PassivHaus – essentially meaning that almost no energy is
consumed for space heating or cooling.
Sustainable materials
• Some of the construction communities used ecological
materials such as wood, clay and other locally produced
materials.
A sense of community
• Without the presence of cars, streets are used as
playgrounds for children and places for social interaction.
• The creation of communal areas promotes incidental
social interaction.
Transport
• Residents have access to a comprehensive public transport
network.
• For most of the residential area, the development plan
prohibits the building of parking space on private property.
• Cars are only allowed into the residential area for pick-up
and delivery. The speed limit on the district’s main road is
30 km/h and in the residential area is 5 km/h.
• Residents who joined the car-sharing scheme receive a
one-year discount public transport pass.
• Schools, a market, a shopping centre and recreation areas
are within walking and cycling distance.
• Around 64% of all trips in Vauban are made by walking
or cycling, compared to an average of around 15% for
metropolitan Melbourne.
Building models for enabling sustainable precincts
Waste-water treatment
• One pilot project tested an innovative sewage system.
Sewage is transported through vacuum pipes into a
biogas plant and the biogas generated is used for cooking.
Remaining grey water is cleaned in biofilm plants and
returned to the water cycle.
For further information:
For more information about SV’s Sustainable Precincts
program, visit www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au/precincts
www.vauban.de/info/abstract.html
www.forum-vauban.de/tasks.shtml
Header image © Jacquie Monie, University of Melbourne, VEIL

Business models for enabling sustainable precincts
© Sustainability Victoria 2011. Images are © Jacquie Monie,
University of Melbourne, VEIL
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Business models for enabling sustainable precincts should be attributed to
Moreland Energy Foundation, Net Balance and Green Spark Consulting. Images
should be attributed to Jacquie Monie, University of Melbourne, VEIL
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