The housing crisis, the loneliness epidemic, rising car-related fatalities, and a need to reduce emissions - most of the major problems our cities face today have been amplified by car dependency.

At Culdesac, we're a real estate developer and property management company focused on building cities for people, not cars. We’re challenging the way the US has been cloning car-dependent housing for the past century and building a better way to live.

Helping people live happier, healthier, wealthier lifestyles through walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development is the opportunity of our generation to move our cities in a better, more resilient direction.

From the cost of parking construction to the limitations of car-centric zoning, dependence on cars increases the cost of building housing and limits the number of units that can be built on a single lot.

A single unit of structured parking can cost $50,000 or more (NPR), the cost of which is passed onto the residents. Perhaps even more significant are the houses that remain unbuilt because developers cannot build the required parking, which further strains the housing supply.

Reliance on cars also limits opportunities for social interaction, as it often replaces walking or biking, which are more conducive to spontaneous encounters and community engagement.

Additionally, the design of car-centric environments—sprawling suburbs with few public spaces—makes the feeling of isolation worse. Moreover, changing climate and pressure to reduce carbon emissions further compel the need to transition away from car dependency.

Our cities need to move in a new direction: toward more equitable, walkable, and financially resilient neighborhoods. But how can the U.S. switch from over 100 years of constrictive housing, infrastructure, and zoning policies?

At Culdesac we focus on community, mobility, and open space. Our first project, Culdesac Tempe, is the first car-free community built from scratch in the U.S.. Our built environment helps people overcome car dependency and encourage the best kind of walkable community lifestyle.

Instead of relying on a car, residents are able to use public transit, micro-mobility, and ride-hailing options to get around the city.

Without residential parking spaces, Culdesac Tempe has over 55% landscape space for social gatherings to connect and peaceful places to relax and recharge.

Furthermore, Culdesac Tempe’s design enables and encourages interactions and local entrepreneurship to strengthen the social fabric of our neighborhoods and build community.

The neighborhood is designed to be climate resilient, maintaining cooler temperatures than surrounding neighborhoods. Because we don’t need to cater to cars, we can have narrow passages and no asphalt.

We’re also able to prioritize climate-adaptive designs like extra shade structures and heat-reflective materials. As temperatures rise in the American Southwest, heat mitigation is increasingly important to every neighborhoods’ well-being.

Vibrant community, a portfolio of transportation options, and beautiful open spaces are what we created when we built for people instead of for cars. So what is so significant about Culdesac Tempe that it’s become the reference project for how to build walkable housing throughout the U.S. in the 2020s?

Our groundbreaking progress wouldn’t have even been possible if not for our close collaboration with local governments to secure parking reductions and zoning amendments. It’s an unfortunate precedent that it’s illegal to build housing options in the U.S. without seas of asphalt dedicated to cars and parking.

Without residential parking, we have the flexibility to build courtyards, plazas, retail, weekly night markets, and open spaces that foster strong communities and local entrepreneurship. Our retailers at Culdesac Tempe not only form strong connections with locals in our community, for many Culdesac has been the place where they’ve been able to move from night market tabling to their first permanent retail location.

Instead of passing the expenses of parking construction costs onto residents, we offer “mobility benefits” that empower them to get around easily without being dependent on a private car.

Our residents get a free metro pass for convenient trips to downtown, discounts on rideshare like Lyft and Waymo, and a free Lectric ebike for the first 200 residents. With a portfolio of transportation options to choose from, it’s more convenient and quicker to access local businesses, restaurants, shops, and more.

Residents can tailor their portfolio to minimize costs, reduce time spent traveling, or maximize enjoyment. Without the overheard and hassle of cars, they have the freedom to control how they choose to move.

Prioritizing people through delightful open spaces, connected community, and diverse mobility options, we’re challenging the standard for development and finding answers to the most difficult obstacles in the way of how people want to live.

Loneliness is remediable, traffic deaths are preventable, climate change is solvable, and improving quality of life is answerable. The solutions will be a long journey, but these are the problems worth solving and they all start with making our communities more walkable.

We’re putting people first and staying focused on how we can inspire more developers to embrace the values of community, mobility and open space for the benefit of people everywhere. Walkable neighborhoods like Culdesac Tempe give us the reference examples to support the car-free road ahead.

Without the limitations of car dependency, we can make it possible for everyone to live happier, healthier, and wealthier lifestyles.