A new kind of neighborhood is coming to Tempe, Arizona — a car-free, walkable community with direct access to public transportation and a plethora of amenities. Culdesac is opening to residents this year and their philosophy is one that I’m glad to be seeing made into a reality. Though Culdesac is a real estate developer and property manager, they “build neighborhoods that embrace community, open space, and mobility…Our communities prioritize biking, walking and transit over cars and parking.” Living in Los Angeles, this is such a refreshing take. It’s frustrating to live in a lively place with so many roadblocks to accessing it. What Culdesac is doing in Tempe, and hopefully elsewhere, is a great start to creating seamless mobility through a city for all of its residents.
So, what’s actually in this community? There’s a park, a bike shop, a market, open plazas and workspaces, among other daily needs and activities. There will be 761 apartments, 16,000 sq. ft of retail space and about 1,000 residents, with rent for a studio starting around $1,000/month and $2,200/month for a three-bed apartment. Culdesac sits a quick walk to the light rail station, with access to Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa for free (!!!!) as a benefit of being a Culdesac resident, and there is also quick access to the free Orbit Bus, along with deals for rideshare and e-scooters. They also offer spaces to reserve with their app, from guest suites to storage to makerspaces to offices and podcasting studios. They encourage making the most of outdoor spaces and taking advantage of everything Tempe and its surrounding area have to offer, promoting a huge sense of community.
Mobility and ease around a city are essential, and with so many more cities being increasingly car-dependent, we need to do more walking, more subway-ing and less isolation in private cars and sprawling highways. Taking into account the environmental consequences of so many cars, and then looking at the accessibility of public transportation to Culdesac, there doesn’t seem to be much of a contest. Not only is a walkable, car-free community allowing residents to interact more with one another and their neighborhoods, but it is also a much more environmentally friendly way to live.
I’m hoping that this ends up being a successful venture and I feel hopeful that I can look forward to the kind of neighborhood I would like to live in. One small step for Tempe, one big step for car-haters everywhere. Now bring it to L.A. please!