Government
Freiburg is known as an "eco-city". In recent years it has attracted the Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, solar industries and research; the Greens have a stronghold here (the strongest in any major German city; up to 35% of the overall city vote, in some neighbourhoods reaching 40% or more in the 2012 national elections). The newly built neighbourhoods of Vauban and Rieselfeld were developed and built according to the idea of sustainability. The citizens of Freiburg are known in Germany for their love of cycling and recycling.
The Oberbürgermeister, Dieter Salomon, (elected in as of 2002), was the first member of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen to hold such an office in a city with more than 100,000 inhabitants. However, his deputy, Otto Neideck, is a member of the conservative party, the CDU.
In June 1995, the Freiburg city council adopted a resolution that it would permit construction only of "low-energy buildings" on municipal land, and all new buildings must comply with certain "low energy" specifications. Low-energy housing uses solar power passively as well as actively. In addition to solar panels and collectors on the roof, providing electricity and hot water, many passive features use the sun’s energy to regulate the temperature of the rooms.
Freiburg is host to a number of international organisations, in particular ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, ISES - International Solar Energy Society, and the City Mayors Foundation.
The composition of Freiburg city council is as follows:
| Party | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance '90/The Greens | 12 | |
| Christian Democratic Union | 10 | |
| Social Democratic Party | 9 | |
| Free Democratic Party | 4 | |
| Left List / Solidarity City | 4 | |
| Free Voters | 3 | |
| Culture List | 2 | |
| Green Alternative Freiburg | 2 | |
| Young Freiburg | 2 | |
| Independent Women | 1 | |
| TOTAL | 48 | |
Read more about this topic: Freiburg Im Breisgau
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)