"Zero-Carbon Walk" in Vauban

This year’s Global Sustainability Transformations in Local Contexts module, taught by Jun.-Prof. Dr. Cathrin Zengerling and Dr. Benedikt Schmid was kicked off with an interactive Zero-Carbon Walk in Vauban.

The students met in the ecological district of Freiburg to learn more about its inspiring sustainable design and its challenges. After an introduction about Vauban’s history, design and demographics, the students were asked to actively conduct individual “Zero-Carbon Walks”.

Each student was assigned the perspective of a Vauban’s inhabitant (out of three “characters” representative of various income groups) and a focus on one sector among food, mobility and housing. Then, they freely explored the neighbourhood and reflected on their character’s options and challenges in the attempt to lower their personal carbon footprint throughout everyday life in Vauban. By immersing themselves in the surroundings, students gathered information and depicted their own perceptions and thoughts through a mental map.

The exercise spurred reflections on the influence of space and urban infrastructure on individual choices and behaviour, which were then shared with the rest of the group in a lively discussion. The students also had the opportunity to have a conversation with Andreas Delleske, one of the co-founders of the Vauban project, who was able to provide valuable insights and answer the students’ questions. 

We sincerely thank both the students and Andreas Delleske for such fruitful kick-off to our module!