The First Car-Free Neighborhood Opens In The US

Giving Up More Freedoms?: The First Car-Free Neighborhood Opens In The US

David Bowen

In the east valley of Phoenix, Arizona, the first car-free neighborhood opened. It’s called Culdesac Tempe. This is the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S.!

I ask myself, “Is this a good thing?” I understand that living in a rented apartment complex where you only walk or bike throughout the complex may be appealing. This complex has its own market, restaurant, dog park, and many shared courtyards. It is 17 acres, with 700 apartments, and 50 shared courtyards. The most significant selling point is that there is no automobile traffic or traffic noise. Local news reports said the waitlist for these Culdesac apartments is over 600 people.

Culdesac, which is also the name of the developer, is the first post-car real estate developer in the U.S. A “post-car real estate developer” — I’ve never used that title before. In fact, no one has ever used that description for a residential unit before.

The New York Times called this project, “A pedestrian oasis.” Bloomberg‘s headline was, “Walkable, car-free living.” The Wall Street Journal proclaimed this project “The first of its kind in the U.S.”

These apartments are one, two, and some three bedrooms. A typical one-bedroom is 648 square feet and rents for $1,420 monthly. A one-bedroom 850 square feet apartment rents for $1,940 per month. Rents go up to $3,060 per month. However, those who sign leases have to commit to living car-free.

What if you need to get off campus? How do you get to Scottsdale or Phoenix metro? How do you get to work or to school? What if you want to shop and you’ll be buying more than you can carry home? The planned response to those questions is the perks that come with a lease. Each resident receives:

• 15% off all Lyft rides
• Free rides on the metro (which is public transportation)
• Carsharing starting at $5/hour
• 100+ scooters on-site

15-Minute Cities

Fifteen-Minute Cities have come to London. Now, in Arizona, we have a 5-Minute Community! Realize that Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the United States. Tempe, along with cities like Chandler, Gilbert, and Mesa, is part of the East Valley of Phoenix. According to the last census, Tempe’s population is over 170,000. It is the home of Arizona State University.

Culdesac claims they want to build this same structure in other cities such as Dallas, Denver, and beyond.

C40 Steering Committee

Another name for 15-Minute Cities is C40. C40 is a group of mayors from cities around the globe saying they are willing to unite in planning and organizing 15-Minute Cities. C40 does have a steering committee. The chairman position does rotate. Currently, the chairman of the C40 steering committee is the mayor of London. Also on this steering committee is the current mayor of Phoenix.

Agenda 2030

What we are seeing in Tempe is the beginning of the fulfillment of Agenda 2030 and its sustainable development plan. In 2015, the United Nations announced a set of 17 sustainable goals. Their plan was to reach these goals by 2030, which gave them 15 years to accomplish their goal. By 2021, they realized they were falling behind in the implementation of their goals, so in order to reach them by their 2030 target date they publicly said they had to rachet up their efforts.

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