page_title: Vauban, Freiburg
section_title: Transport
hierarchical_section_title: Vauban, Freiburg / Transport
caption_attribution_description: English: A diagramatic depiction of the transportation network in Vauban, Freiburg, Germany. It shows the departure from the traditional simple grid and the adoption of a complex combination grid. The drawing shows the threetypes of connectors: roads in red, local streets in orange and pedestrian bicycle paths in green
context_page_description: Vauban is a neighbourhood to the south of the town centre in Freiburg, Germany. It was built as "a sustainable model district" on the site of a former French military base named after Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, the 17th century French Marshal who built fortifications in Freiburg while the region was under French rule. Construction began in 1998, and the first two residents arrived in 2001.
context_section_description: Within Vauban, transport is primarily by foot or bicycle. The development is connected to Freiburg city centre by a tramway and is laid out linearly along the tracks, such that all homes are within easy walking distance from a tram stop. As of 2009, around 70% of the households had chosen to live without a private car. The level of car ownership has fallen over time. 
  Both this and an earlier study found that cycling was the main mode of transport for most trips and most activities, including commuting and shopping.
  The preference for walking and cycling can be partly attributed to the layout of the district. Building on previous experience, the plan departs from the simple inherited grid and creates a network, which incorporates the principle of “filtered permeability”. It means that the network geometry favours the active modes of transport and, selectively, “filters out” the car. This is accomplished by reducing the number of streets that run through the neighbourhood. Instead, most local streets are crescents and cul-de-sacs (see drawing). While they are discontinuous for cars, they connect to a network of pedestrian and bike paths, which permeate the entire neighbourhood. In addition, these paths go through or past open spaces, adding to the enjoyment of the trip. The logic of filtering a mode of transport is fully expressed in a new comprehensive model for laying out neighbourhoods and districts – the Fused Grid.
  Most of Vauban's residential streets are described as stellplatzfrei – literally "free from parking spaces". Vehicles are allowed down these streets at walking pace to pick up and deliver but not to park, although there are some infractions as the system depends essentially on social consensus – there are few official controls. Each year, households are required to sign a declaration stating either that they do not own a car, or that they do, in which case they must buy a space in one of the multi-storey car parks on the periphery, at a one-off cost of €17,500 plus a monthly service fee (in 2006). The citywide car sharing club has the greatest concentration of its 2,500 members in Vauban – at least ten of its cars are stationed around the district.
caption: A diagrammatic depiction of the transportation network in Vauban. It shows the departure from the traditional simple grid and the adoption of a complex combination grid. The drawing shows the three types of connectors: roads in red, local streets in orange and pedestrian bicycle paths in green
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