Culdesac Tempe will be the country’s first from-scratch, car-free neighborhood

Culdesac, a developer that specializes in building car-free neighborhoods from scratch, operates with a key insight in mind: the way we move defines the way we live. And because how we move is changing, thanks to things like ridesharing, the way we live should change as well.

As such, Culdesac Tempe, currently under construction on a 16-acre site in Tempe, Ariz., will be the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the United States, according to the developer. The $140 million project will provide 636 apartments for approximately 1,000 residents, with space for zero private cars. That’s right, if you want to live in Culdesac Tempe, you will need to leave your wheels behind. The neighborhood’s one small mini-lot will be stocked with hourly rentable car-sharing, such as GetAround, Turo, or Zipcar, and the perimeter of the neighborhood will be stippled with rideshare pick-up zones.

Space that is typically set aside for streets and parking lots will instead be used for acres of greenspace, courtyards, and shops. Not having to create a maze of pavement for vehicles means more than half of the land area will be covered in landscaping and greenery, a ratio not seen in urban developments.

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But Culdesac Tempe doesn’t plan on leaving its residents stranded without any transportation besides their own two feet. The neighborhood will bring together services like ridesharing, shared bikes and  electric scooters, same day grocery delivery, and an on-site light rail station that connects to the downtown to mitigate any headaches associated without having a private vehicle. The neighborhood will also feature a pool, a dog park, and a gym.

Another interesting idea Culdesac Tempe will be trying looks to reimagine the guest room. Instead of private guest rooms, which often times aren’t even used, residents will be able to put up friends in bookable guest suites strategically placed throughout the neighborhood.

Culdesac Tempe is slated to launch in late 2020.