Freiburg Germany
Part of the reason Freiburg is one of (if not the) most sustainable cities in the world is because of the concentrated network of sustainability specialist. What fascinates me the most about the neighborhood and that region of the world is their transportation connections and their low drive alone rate. Transportation The district was planned around green transportation, because, transportation is the hardest ecological impact of development to reduce. Cars park on the edge of the districts. Pedestrian and bicycle paths form a highly-connected, efficient, green transportation network with every home within walking distance of a tram stop, and all schools, businesses, and shopping centers located within walking distance. Freiburg's citizens are known for their love of cycling, with over 400 km of cycle paths, separate bikepaths, and over 9,000 bicycle parking spaces, including "bike and ride" lots at transit stations. The city has an extensive pedestrianized zone and a tramway network together with feeder buses. 70% of the population lives within 500 meters of a tram stop, and the trains appear every 7.5 minutes during rush hours with ticket costs subsidized to encourage use. Compare to Seattle Seattle, like most US cities, is car-centric and has been shaped around highways and freeways. While we have more sustainable and convenient transportation than ever, it is not accessible to everyone. the Op-ed in the Seattle Times is not far off and the region calls for more affordable TOD housing. What I think is another interesting piece to take away from the Feiburg incentive approach is the subsidized transit during off peak hours. An incentive like this would be invaluable to the upcoming Alaska Way Viaduct closure that will congest all parts of the region for 3 weeks in January of 2019.
https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/words-most-successful-model-sustainable-urban-development/229316/
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