Vauban

vauban
Project box

Geographical area: Europe

Location: Freiburg, Germany

City size: Small (between 50,000 and 250,000 inhabitants)

Promoter: Municipality of Freiburg

Developer: Municipality of Freiburg and private developers

Start year:

End-year:

Implementation phase: Completed

Project size: Neighborhood

Total area of intervention (in sqm): 380.000

Total investments (in USD): -

Project overview

The Vauban regeneration project is a landmark urban redevelopment initiative located on the southern edge of Freiburg, Germany. The project area covers approximately 38 hectares and was originally a military site of the French army, later owned by the German military until its decommissioning in 1992. The site’s transformation into a residential neighborhood is part of Freiburg’s broader strategy to address housing demand while promoting environmental sustainability and social inclusivity. After the decommissioning, the entire site has been mostly left abandoned, with only a few associations and cooperatives using some of the abandoned military buildings. The area represented an important urban void within the city of Freiburg, being also characterized by a partially contaminated soil due to previous military activities. In addition, the city of Freiburg was experiencing a significant housing shortage, and the Municipality decided to renovate the abandoned area instead of allocating already urbanized land to create new residential buildings. Thus, the Municipality of Freiburg purchased the land for a total of around USD 22 million to control and guide the regeneration process according to its vision of sustainable urban development. The regeneration process started with the creation of the citizen-led participatory body Forum Vauban, which ensured that the initiative accounted for the needs and ideas expressed by the future residents and surrounding community. The Municipality of Freiburg started to sell land parcels to private developers, cooperative housing associations and construction cooperatives and opened a public competition to develop the intervention masterplan. The winning proposal came from the architectural firm Kohloff&Kohloff, which has been later modified following the suggestions gathered by Forum Vauban. During the planning phase, the Municipality adopted several land use variations on the General Regulatory Plan in order to allow the land use detailed in the masterplan. After its approval, the implementation phase started with the soil remediation, demolition of most existing buildings and the urbanization works conducted by the Municipality. After the completion of the preliminary works, private developers started to conduct their projects. Most of the new buildings have been developed by the construction cooperative Genova and several BauGruppen, which are citizens cooperatives which independently construct residential buildings. The implementation phase saw the construction of mostly low-energy demand residential buildings, covering the majority of the project area. A significant part of the site has been allocated to green areas and open spaces, in line with the objective of creating a sustainable and high-quality neighborhood. The initiative provided around 2,000 new residential units, with around 300 of them built following energy-efficient criteria certified with PassivHaus and EnergyPlus standards. The regeneration works also provided the neighborhood with spaces for commercial and retail activities, as well as for educational buildings. In particular, the Municipality of Freiburg sold six of the former military buildings to the University of Freiburg to develop different student housing buildings with a total of 600 units. The project has been mainly promoted and conducted by the Municipality of Freiburg, which sold the land parcels to private developers to conduct their individual projects. The Municipality oversaw the entire planning and implementation phase to ensure the projects compliance with the approved masterplan. The goal of Vauban was to create a sustainable, socially inclusive neighborhood that could serve as a model for future urban development. The Vauban initiative was successful in revitalizing a former military site into a thriving residential district, increasing the value for landowners. In addition, the regeneration project built a strong sense of community among residents, as the future residents were directly involved in both planning and implementation phases of the initiative. From the environmental side, the project targeted the construction of low-impact buildings, employing ecological building materials, installing solar photovoltaic panels, and implementing a district heating network and co-generation plants.

The regeneration initiative renovated the Vauban district by allocating around 53% of the total area to mixed residential housing units. A vast area covering around 15% of the site has been allocated to green areas, parks and recreational areas, while 8% of the total area is covered by commercial and retail spaces. The project also saw the construction of schools and educational buildings covering around 2% of the total area. The remaining 22% of the area is covered by renovated road infrastructures, squares and open spaces.

Benefits

The major economic impact brought by the revitalization of Vauban is the increase land and property values of the former military site. The high-quality and sustainable buildings constructed significantly benefited landowners, as the property values increased compared to the surrounding areas. In addition, the mixed-use development envisioned for the project attracted several local businesses, small companies and cooperatives to relocate in the neighborhood, stimulating the economic activity in the surrounding areas and creating new job opportunities for the residents.

The environmental impact of the Vauban project was profound, as it was designed to be one of the most sustainable neighborhoods in the world. The project prioritized energy efficiency, renewable energy use, and sustainable building practices. In fact, the newly developed buildings are built to be low energy, thanks to the installation of solar photovoltaic panels on roofs, the construction of a more efficient heat and power plant and the implementation of a district heating network. More than 300 residential units in Vauban are certified to either PassivHaus or EnergyPlus standards, making them some of the most energy-efficient buildings globally. The project also integrated green infrastructure, including the use of solar energy, co-generation plants, and ecological building materials.

The regeneration of Vauban brought a significant social transformation by creating a vibrant, inclusive, and participatory community. Firstly, the regeneration project created around 2,000 new residential units to host residents in the neighborhood. From the outset, the project was designed with a strong emphasis on social sustainability, involving future residents and local stakeholders in the planning and development process. The Forum Vauban, a participatory body established in 1994, played a crucial role in shaping the neighborhood's development, ensuring that the needs and desires of the community were incorporated into the urban plan. The project's emphasis on cooperative housing models and the integration of various social groups, including students and families, contributed to the creation of a socially diverse and cohesive community. Additionally, the project's focus on pedestrian-friendly streets, public spaces, and accessible services fostered a strong sense of community and social interaction, making Vauban a model for socially sustainable urban living. To promote sustainable mobility, the neighborhood was designed to minimize car usage, with restricted vehicle access and a focus on pedestrian walks and bicycle paths and mobility.

The regeneration project built around 300 residential units achieving either PassivHaus or EnergyPlus environmental certifications.

Finance model

The regeneration project of Vauban has been funded from both public and private resources. The Municipality of Freiburg employed resources from the National Government of Germany and the European Union to purchase the entire land site for a total of around USD 22 million. From the private side, private developers employed resources to acquire land parcels and develop their projects.

The financing of the Vauban regeneration project involved a combination of public investment and financial instruments. From the public side, the project has been financed with public resources of the Municipality of Freiburg, grants from the National Government of Germany and resources granted from the European Union. These funds were mainly employed by the Municipality of Freiburg to conduct the works of soil remediation, demolition of most existing buildings and urbanization of the entire area. The Municipality of Freiburg adopted an initial modification of land use of the site, changing its destination from the previous military use and increasing its value. In addition, two additional variations on the General Regulatory Plan were introduced during the implementation phase in order to modify the land use in accordance with the modifications of the masterplan. The Municipality of Freiburg acquired the entire site from the German army, merging land ownership on the site, and later selling the individual plots to private developers. The private developers acquired the ownership of each plot and conducted the individual regeneration projects employing private resources.

References and Credits

AUDIS (2020). La rigenerazione urbana in Europa-Dalle aree dismesse a nuovi spazi di vita e lavoro. Available here.

Vauban official website. Accessed on 29/08/2024. Available here.

Image from Experience Magazine, retrieved here.