In city-building circles around the world, Freiburg, Germany, is considered a model of sustainability. This medieval city nestled at the edge of the Black Forest was a trading hub and a centre for scholarship before its leadership in future-oriented urban planning and renewable energy.
Old European cities were built to be compact and walkable, while young Canadian metropolises must contend with the sprawling suburbs and auto-dominate lifestyles of modern society. Despite the inherited disadvantages, cities like Calgary are slowly adopting Freiburg-style practices to create sustainable and environmentally considerate communities.
Encouraging Bicycles
Freiburg’s preserved many of its 10th century cobblestone streets when it banned all but essential cars from its core. Cyclists enjoy 500 kilometres of lanes, priority streets, bike-share stations and public bike storage. With a shorter biking season, Calgary boasts 1,524 km of bike paths and rights-of-way, however fewer than 20 per cent of riders bike to work or school. But Calgary’s on the right path, says Celia Lee, executive director of Sustainable Calgary.
“What typically helps is pretty simple — great destinations and great routes. People are lazy but curious and are willing to go farther if the infrastructure is particularly delightful,” she says.
Research shows people are four times more likely to bike if there’s a lane within a kilometre’s reach. Women are five times more likely to bike if they’re separated by infrastructure like a barrier.
Nostalgia Townlet was designed with a walkable centre reminiscent of European cities.
Disincentivizing Driving
Lee says the Top 3 reasons Calgarians leave their homes are work, daycare/school and food/groceries. If not nearby, people are not incentivized to walk or bike. A good urban sustainability plan will make driving less comfortable. Narrowing the streets, curb bump-outs, raised crossings and one-way streets are intentional frictions that Freiburg has created. The southwest Calgary community of Alpine Park, by Dream Development, employs similar designs. Pedestrian-forward features include shorter blocks, improved line of sight at crosswalks and double rows of boulevard trees to slow traffic.
“We have a couplet entry road when you come into Alpine Park off Stoney. The westbound lanes are one way at 154th Avenue and you come back on 155th. So, there aren’t four lanes to cross. There are fewer conflicts,” says Tara Steell, Dream vice-president of land development.
Jayman Living, the development arm of Jayman Built, is modeling its new Nostalgia Townlet neighbourhood south of 212th Avenue S.E. following the DNA of cities like Freiburg, complete with old world architectural styles and compact streets.
“A big priority was creating a walkable space reminiscent of European cities. Main Street is entirely walkable. It will even be closed to vehicle traffic for festivals and outdoor concerts during the summer,” says Raj Atwal, Jayman development manager.
Transit at Hand
Trams and high-speed rail are the default way of getting around in Europe. New developments in Freiburg cannot proceed unless the site is within 400 to 600 metres of a tram stop or planned extension. Calgary Transit’s 30-year plan is leaning heavily towards expanding the BRT (bus rapid transit) network and incorporating electric buses, but service always lags behind new communities. Housing shortages mean developers can’t wait for the city to get in gear, so Dream has proactively protected a corridor for a possible, not-yet-funded BRT corridor on 162nd Avenue S.W.
Livingston, by Brookfield Residential, is a transit-oriented community in waiting in north Calgary. Centre Street North is the alignment for the far-into-the-future Green Line, which is where Brookfield has placed high-density, transit-supportive, mixed-use buildings. The street network includes wide rights-of-way, corridors for future tracks and pedestrian-priority design near future station areas. It’s one of the few suburbs where the street geometry anticipates rail.
Green Energy
Freiburg has one of the highest solar adoption rates in Europe and with strict building codes. Calgary’s policy is more about encouragement to use rooftop solar. There is no mandate from the municipality, and home builders recognize that homebuyers want choice. Dream, for example, stipulates that homes in Alpine Park must be solar ready with the appropriate conduits for the maximum amount of solar that a home can generate.
“We don’t want to force the purchaser to put in solar but say you sell in five years, and the next guy wants to. That’s our way of helping people get to that level,” says Steell.
Jayman was one of the first to offer an array of energy-saving inclusions and options. As exclusive builder of homes, commercial spaces and the exclusive Nostalgia Club in Nostalgia, solar was a simple decision.
“Energy efficiency and sustainable building practices is at the heart of what we do and one of our core beliefs. We would expect this of all partners in our communities. It is in our DNA and is not something we compromise on,” says Atwal.
To learn more about Freiburg as one of Europe’s most sustainable cities and more about urban planning around the world, visit Youtube.com/notjustbikes.