Welcome To Culdesac Tempe, A Completely Car-Free Neighborhood In The US Where Residents Can't Have Cars
Driving simply isn't an option in this Arizona neighborhood.
Jacek Chabraszewski | Shutterstock Using a car has become a typical part of life in America. Around 92% of households have at least one car, and according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, roughly 78% of workers commute to their jobs every day.
However, Yale Climate Connections shares that, though many people choose to live in urban, car-dependent areas, it's not necessarily what they want. In fact, if towns and cities were more walkable, as they are in Europe, everything from overall resident health to the local small-business economy would improve.
Culdesac Tempe is an entirely walkable, car-free neighborhood in Arizona.
After college, Ryan Johnson wanted to take on the challenge of bringing innovation to real estate. He took inspiration from his travels around the world in his 20s and his experience working in transportation to co-found Culdesac, a real estate developer dedicated to building walkable places, in 2018.
The company opened Culdesac Tempe in 2023, its first 17-acre housing development with no resident parking available. Located near downtown Tempe, the property features housing, local shops, courtyards, community spaces, and so much more. While residents are encouraged to use ebikes or their complimentary public transit passes, they are still able to rent a vehicle through Waymo to get wherever they need to go.
Culdesac Tempe has seen immense success in the few years it's been open. Johnson told Yale Climate Connections, "Today, the development is thriving. It’s doing well. Neighbors love it; the city loves it. And it’s become a reference project for understanding how to build walkable neighborhoods in the U.S. in the 2020s."
If so many people want to live in walkable neighborhoods, why aren't there more of them?
According to Johnson, "The biggest reason there aren’t more walkable neighborhoods in the U.S. is that they’ve basically been banned. They’re more or less illegal because of zoning and other reasons, and we’ve mandated building lots of parking, which means things are spread out. So people feel they need a car, and then we mistake that as people wanting a car, when really they just didn’t have an alternative."
Unfortunately, this is a bit of a tricky situation. Most existing cities and towns are already built with a consideration for cars. Buildings are spread out, with extensive room for parking and roadways. It's not necessarily possible to change them now.
Johnson realizes that the solution to the problem is in changing the way real estate developments are built moving forward, but this isn't always an easy process.
"You don’t just talk to the mayor; there are lots of different stakeholders. You need to talk to different community groups. You need to talk to the fire department, the sanitation department, etc., to understand what people care about and how their system works," he explained.
Building more car-free neighborhoods could help combat pollution and climate change.
Transportation is one of the biggest contributors to environmental problems. Car emissions (especially from gas and diesel vehicles) produce greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere, which can be harmful to human health and whole ecosystems. Fewer cars on the road mean a substantial reduction in transportation-related emissions and traffic congestion.
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Without many vehicles around, the air quality will improve significantly. Cleaner air benefits public health and makes it much more enjoyable to spend time outside, which also encourages outdoor exercise like walking and cycling.
Johnson hopes the development will usher in a new era of real estate and living. Honestly, it sounds pretty appealing. Think of your favorite small town. Shops and restaurants, hardly any parking, lots of people milling about ... it sounds like a thriving, happy community. It could absolutely work, but the real question is: Will Americans be willing to give up their cars?
Kayla Asbach is a writer currently working on her bachelor's degree at the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
