By: Saikat

A town sans the luxury of wheels could be common phenomenon in any part of the world. But in Germany it’s almost an anachronism. After all isn’t Germany all about cars and the autobahn?

Vauban is a fact of lifestyle choice as much as it is a fact of brave experimentalism. It is almost a car free community. And no it does not conjure up images of flowing haired environmental extremists. In fact Vauban is just like any other suburban town of middle class people. Located close to Freiburg, this town of 5000 does not even have grey paved roads. Instead you will find mostly cobbled paths amidst playgrounds and gardens. Citizens are prohibited from owning and driving cars and garages are absent.

But then how do people go from Point A to Point B?

Andreas Delleske, one of the brains behind the Vauban initiative says –

“If you want to get around in Vauban you walk, ride a bike or hop on the ultra-efficient tram service that connects us to Freiburg in 15 minutes. If you want a car to go on holiday or to shift things, hire one or join one of the town’s car-sharing schemes.”

Figures indicate that the citizens are following the model. 70% of households have given up the luxury of a private car and 57% actually sold their cars when they moved to Vauban.

It is not only about automobiles. Vauban is a social experiment in entirety. The concept was to build a town which was partially removed from the dependency of the grid. Ecological sustainability being the theme, houses where designed and constructed from the ground up.

Windows of all the homes are triple-glazed. Ventilation systems have heat exchangers which circulate fresh air at room temperature, even when the windows are shut. The walls are well insulated and 35cms thick. Solar panels alternatively provide some part of the energy and homes are heated through smart co-generator engines that run on wood chips. In fact it’s an example that Vauban gives back its surplus energy to the national grid. Human waste is reduced to compost in special biological toilets and shower and water is filtered for re-use in the garden.

Vauban is a model example of passive housing. It is a success on a small scale. A four bedroom unit in Vauban with all the trappings of passive housing costs €250,000. The cost not the idea could be the only deal breaker for mass market adoption. But yes, Vauban categorically proves that with commitment and vision, a sustainable lifestyle is possible.

Source: aboutmyplanet