Final 12 months, when Andre Rouhani and Gabriela Reyes toured Culdesac Tempe, a rental growth outdoors of Phoenix, the place seemed fairly candy. It had winsome walkways, boutique outlets and low-slung white stucco buildings clustered round shaded courtyards.
The one shock got here when Mr. Rouhani, 33, a doctoral scholar at Arizona State College, requested about resident parking and was advised there was none.
The couple had two canines, a toddler and one other child on the best way. “Lengthy story quick, we determined that every one the professionals outweigh the cons,” Mr. Rouhani mentioned in a current cellphone interview. The household gave its automotive to Ms. Reyes’ father and moved into Culdesac in December. “We do actually, actually adore it right here,” Mr. Rouhani mentioned. “It’s one of the best place I’ve ever lived.”
50 States, 50 Fixes is a series about local solutions to environmental issues. Extra to come back this 12 months.
Modeled on cities in Italy and Greece constructed lengthy earlier than the arrival of vehicles, Culdesac Tempe is what its builders name the nation’s first neighborhood purposely built to be car free.
Ryan Johnson, the Culdesac chief government, mentioned he needed to supply a blueprint for residing in a walkable place, even in a state that’s car-centric and sometimes broiling.
“It’s the most effective issues we are able to do for local weather, well being, happiness, low price of residing, even low price of presidency,” mentioned Mr. Johnson, who lives at Culdesac, too. “It’s additionally a greater life-style. All of us grow to be the worst variations of ourselves behind the wheel.”
Whereas there’s a short-term car parking zone for deliveries, retailers and friends, Culdesac residents are anticipated to get round by the close by mild rail system, in addition to on buses, scooters, electrical bikes and by utilizing journey shares. There are 22 retail outlets, a number of of them live-work areas, and a small Korean market. To date, 288 residence items have been constructed on eight of the positioning’s 17 acres with one other 450 items deliberate.
There are different car-free locations in the US, principally island getaways the place folks stroll, bike or instrument round on golf carts. However zoning necessities in most cities normally require new developments to supply residents with a minimal variety of parking spots, together with within the Phoenix space, a paragon of city sprawl. Culdesac Tempe’s builders got a particular exemption from parking necessities by the Metropolis of Tempe.
“That is fully totally different than our fashionable, standard method to growth,” mentioned Edward Erfurt, chief technical adviser at Robust Cities, a North American nonprofit group that promotes group resilience. “We’ve simply had this experiment for the final eight a long time the place we’ve opted to prioritize an remoted transportation system versus our pure approach of working collectively as people.”
Culdesac Tempe broke that mould, Mr. Erfurt mentioned, including, “It is a very huge deal.”
Culdesac’s two- and three-story buildings are designed for the desert local weather, painted vibrant white to replicate warmth. Not having to think about residential parking allowed its architects to configure buildings to maximise shade and to design slender pathways that inspired breezes and social engagement.
“The pedestrian is admittedly the first individual, the determine that you just’re growing for,” mentioned Alexandra Vondeling, the lead architect on the challenge. Massive expanses of glass have been eschewed, awnings added over sun-facing home windows, and native crops and bushes put in for cooling shade. There’s a large walkway that may accommodate emergency automobiles, however no asphalt, decreasing the city warmth island impact and enhancing situations for the canines that stay there, too.
The flats vary from studios to a few bed room items, renting from between $1,300 to $2,800 a month, which Mr. Johnson mentioned have been market charges. Almost 90 p.c are leased.
Some residents have been drawn to Culdesac due to its car-free mission, others regardless of it. There’s a contingent, measurement unknown, that quietly nonetheless owns vehicles, simply parked off-site.
Sheryl Murdock, 50, a postdoctoral researcher who lives in Canada, is renting a unit as a result of she is regularly in Tempe for work and needed to stability the carbon emissions from all that flying.
Ashley Weiland and her husband moved in with their younger little one to surrender the expense of getting a automotive and ended up getting jobs at Culdesac, she at a restaurant there and he in upkeep.
Electra Hug, 24, who works for the town of Tempe and is blind, needed to be near public transit and have a way of group. It’s the primary time she’s lived with out the help of household and mates. “As a way to have a superb time or have enjoyable, I would not have to cross the road,” Ms. Hug mentioned. “It’s simply tremendous distinctive and actually simply homey.”
Mr. Rouhani and Ms. Reyes borrow her father’s automotive as soon as every week for errands. In any other case they principally journey public transit with free passes offered by Culdesac.
Residing in a spot the place individuals are not zipping about of their vehicles means the tempo is slower, with extra alternative for connection, Mr. Rouhani mentioned. It’s the sort of group, he mentioned, the place neighbors borrow a cup of sugar from one another. Within the days after their daughter was born, three totally different households both introduced a meal, dropped off cookies, or provided to go purchase them groceries. “We actually really feel supported and cherished right here,” he mentioned.
David King, who teaches city planning at Arizona State College, mentioned Culdesac Tempe might immediate different builders to push for exemptions from parking necessities. And Mr. Erfurt of Robust Cities mentioned Culdesac Tempe might pave the best way, because it have been, for comparable car-free developments to be inbuilt locations like shuttered strip malls, which might deal with the reasonably priced housing disaster, reduce loneliness and produce folks nearer to the place they work.
“We might do all that just by decoupling parking from growth,” Mr. Erfurt mentioned. “In each market, individuals are searching for that.”
