Martinstor on Kaiser-Josephstrasse at the southern end of downtown Freiburg. Freiburg retained the fabric of its tightly woven historic city center during post-World War II reconstruction, and made the tram network the backbone for new urban development in the 1960s.

A busy McDonald’s parking lot in Freiburg. Scenes like these are very common in a city of short distances. Biking is the easiest way to get around town. A tight grid, easy connections, and integrated tariff system make the use of public transit second nature. Tram cars have ad banners saying, “If you’re good on foot, you’re good for the climate.”

Typical scene on Bertoldstrasse, reflecting the spatial principle laid out by the Freiburg Charter for Sustainable Urbanism: “The development of public transport and pedestrian and bicycle networks should be given priority over the use of private motor vehicles.” Public spaces and streets are paved with natural cobblestone.

Used for graywater and firefighting in the Middle Ages, the unique “Bächle” (little creeks) are a three-mile system of water channels fed by the Dreisam River. Shut down to accommodate increased traffic after WWII, they were reconstructed during expansion of the pedestrian district. Loved by everyone, but especially little ones.

People of all backgrounds and ages come together at the market on Münsterplatz (Cathedral Square) in the center of the city, taking care of their daily needs. Freiburg’s supermarket policy helped to strengthen existing local markets by restricting the development of shopping centers on the city’s outskirts.

Hanging out at Café & Bistro Aspekt in the heart of Freiburg, near the university. Freiburg is the cultural hub of Southwest Germany, celebrating an open exchange of ideas and outdoor culture.

A formerly rundown and deserted street, Konviktstrasse was revitalized by brand-new buildings that retained the area's original style. The ease, aesthetics, and accessibility of the medieval plot structure, combined with modern functionality, lured many suburbanites back into the city.

View of the main street in Rieselfeld, Freiburg’s first eco-village, under construction since the 1990s. Only a 15-minute tram ride from the city center, the development integrates dense and vertical three- to five-story living with generous green and open spaces in between. Cyclists and pedestrians have priority, and only one out of every 10 residents owns a car.

“Children can play anywhere” is one of the most commonly seen traffic signs in Rieselfeld, based on the principle in Freiburg’s Charter for Sustainable Urbanism of providing “a full range of facilities, especially for very young and very old citizens.”

Collectively designed and built by hundreds of small investors in the post-Chernobyl years, most dwellings in Rieselfeld are either zero-energy or energy-plus. Splitting the cost of ownership of blocks of flats makes properties more affordable while leaving plenty of room for individual expression.

Schoolyard and gym at Clara Grunwald Elementary School in Rieselfeld, a public school with Montessori-trained teachers. The imaginative ecological design meets not only energy-efficiency and low-carbon emission standards but creates an inspiring and attractive learning environment.

Youth, Media and Community Center in the heart of Rieselfeld. Named "The Glass House" by residents, the center was completed in 2003, providing a community meeting space for educational opportunities and cultural exchange.

The "Sun Ship" forms one of the main axes in the Vauban neighborhood and is a mixed-use building with bicycle and car parking, a supermarket, local shopping facilities, business and enterprise units, apartments, and solar-plus houses that generate surplus energy to be sold back to the grid at a profit for residents.

Alfred-Döblin-Platz in Vauban. The officers’ casino of the former French military base now houses a cultural arts center and restaurant (Süden). Süden’s menu reminds its customers that there are only two places to park in the neighborhood: In the Sun Ship parking garage and along the main road, Vauban Allee.

Designed as an integrated transport hub, Freiburg Central Station combines high-speed and regional train services with access to local trams, buses and cabs. A multistory bicycle facility includes storage, repair workshop and “Café Velo.” Shops, hotels, theaters, and 24-hour bars mean it’s a place that never sleeps.