The car-free lifestyle is a growing one thanks to the many benefits it has to offer both people and the planet.
Choosing this lifestyle is not always easy when you live in a world centered around automobility, though. However, some corners of the world — like Culdesac Tempe, Arizona — are now challenging the core tenets of our car-dominant society. According to residents, it's going incredibly well.
The New York Times reported on the car-free rental development about 15 miles outside of Phoenix, which is designed to reduce emissions and promote community. There are no parking accommodations in the development. To get around, residents rely mostly on walking, biking, and electric scooters.
In many parts of the United States, this concept might sound untenable, but the 17-acre plot offers just about everything its residents need within walking distance of its nearly 300 apartments.
There are 22 retail stores, including a cafe, a bike shop, a convenience store, a James Beard-nominated restaurant, sustainable clothing stores, a pick-up/drop-off laundry, and a beer garden.
Should there be something beyond walking distance that a Culdesac resident needs, they've got that covered, too. The development offers mobility benefits provided through partnerships with rideshare and public transportation companies. The nearby Valley Metro Rail covers a 30-mile stretch between northwest Phoenix and east Mesa, offering affordable and sustainable transport, no car necessary.
Without having to design the development to accommodate cars, Culdesac's engineers were able to get creative. Where all that parking would be, there are green spaces that help cool the area. Buildings were designed to provide maximum shade and create cool breezes — not to mention bring people together.
That may be the greatest achievement of Culdesac Tempe: It fosters a sense of community that's difficult to maintain when everyone can isolate in their vehicles and minimize their time among others.
Amazingly, this car-free community has even allowed Electra Hug, who is blind, to live on her own for the first time in her 24 years of life.
"In order to have a good time or have fun, I do not have to cross the street," she told the Times. "It's just super unique and really just homey."
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