Vauban and the Sun Ship - A Plus-Energy Community

Vauban is an exemplary sustainable town.

A “zero-emission” district in Freiburg, Germany, most energy for buildings in Vauban is sourced from rooftop solar panels.

Energy for Vauban is also supplied by a local biomass-fed cogeneration plant (fed by woodchips). Vauban's electricity is mostly supplied by solar photovoltaics, and district heating for Vauban is supplied by the local cogeneration plant.

The "Sun Ship" is in the Solar Settlement in Vauban, and is part of why Freiburg is known as Europe's "solar city".

Buildings in Vauban are either passive solar buildings (ultra energy efficient buildings that consume as much energy as they produce) or plus-energy buildings (producing even more energy than they consume).

Residents in plus-energy buildings in Vauban sell excess energy generated by their home or building back to the municipality (for use in homes in the community), resulting in lower electricity bills.

Residences in the Sun Ship (Das Sonnenschiff) are all plus-energy buildings. Residents of Vauban primarily live in co-op buildings, such as the Sun Ship.

Vauban's Urban Planning

Urban planning helped to create a city layout that lends itself to cycling as the primary mode of transit. Vauban's urban plan is connected streets throughout the town (forming a fused grid), plenty of pedestrian and bike paths, as well as designated lanes for mass transit (filtered permeability). 

Vauban's streets have minimal parking spaces, with roads primarily designed for pedestrians, cyclists, and mass transit instead of cars.

The majority of Vauban residents don’t own a car, choosing instead to use the tram, cycle, or simply walk.

Vauban is not completely emissions-free, as cars are actually allowed (if you pay at least $23,000 USD for a parking spot on the outskirts of town). 

The urban planning strategies of filtered permeability and fused grid were implemented in the design of the municipality of Vauban.

Here's an illustration of the layout of the city district of Vauban>>>

The radical culture of Vauban has roots in its dramatic history. Ironically, Vauban was a military town through WWII (a French army barracks site, after the French took it over) and into the early ’90s. When the military left, the vacant buildings were inhabited by squatters. These vagabonds eventually organized a group called "Forum Vauban", organizing a revolutionary eco-community with the help of the Freiburg City Council.

Today, Vauban is modern, beautiful, and represents the very cutting edge of sustainable living.

And, here are the rankings for Green City Times' top 10 greenest cities in the world>>>

The TOP 10 greenest cities in the world (as determined by Green City Times):

1. Reykjavik, Iceland 
2. Vaxjo, Sweden
3. Copenhagen, Denmark
4. Freiburg, Germany
5. Oslo, Norway
6. Vancouver, Canada
7. London, UK
8. Curitiba, Brazil
9. Portland, Oregon, US
10. San Diego, California, US

Honorable mentions for the world's greenest city:

Paris, France, Austin, Texas, New York City, New York