ARTICLE : Vauban: the World's Most Successful Model for Sustainable Urban Development? by David Thorpe

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Is the Vauban district of Freiburg in southern Germany the world's best example of sustainable urban living? Construction of this intentional community began in the mid-1990s and it opened in 2000. By 2001, it had 2,000 inhabitants and now is said to have 5,000 inhabitants with over 600 jobs. “The Vauban district was created through cooperative decision-making, becoming a model of holistic environmental planning and eco-friendly living,” Louise Abellard writes.

It developed from a squatted community that did not want to be removed by developers, who took the future into their own hands.

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