A neighborhood in the Arizona desert is making residents feel like they’ve been transported to the Mediterranean. What’s happening inside this 16-acre community is turning everything people think they know about American suburban life upside down.
Tucked off an unremarkable stretch of road in Tempe, Arizona, Culdesac is the first purpose-built, car-free neighborhood in the United States.
Traffic moves fast on the streets surrounding it, but step inside and the noise drops away. No exhaust fumes, no parking garages, no cars at all.
What Culdesac Actually Looks Like
In place of the asphalt and concrete that defines most American neighborhoods, Culdesac offers whitewashed housing clustered around plazas, with restaurants and shops lining the walkways between them. Paved paths connect residents to a pool, gym, coworking space, and dog park.
The design team at Opticos, the urban design and architecture firm behind the project, described the character as similar to a Greek, Italian, or French historic village, complete with narrow, winding paseos, a hierarchy of public spaces, and buildings positioned to create a sense of discovery as you move through the community.
Resident Sheryl Murdock told the BBC it reminded her of Greece entirely. “It’s like finding your people,” she said.
How Getting Around Works
Without cars, residents walk to the nearby metro stop, ride a bike, or grab a scooter rental for their daily commute.
The neighborhood sits directly adjacent to the Smith-Martin/Apache Boulevard station on the A Line of the Valley Metro Rail, which runs throughout the Phoenix metro area.
For trips that genuinely require a car, such as a visit to a national forest or a nearby nature preserve, residents get free or discounted rides through Envoy or Waymo. The development bundles thousands of dollars in transportation perks into the cost of living there.
The Community Side of Things
Culdesac blends the energy of urban living with something closer to a coliving setup. Private apartments are built around courtyards that function as shared outdoor living rooms. Weekly events, monthly barbecues, and casual cornhole games keep the community connected.
Locally owned coffee shops and eateries are within walking distance, along with more than two miles of trails for anyone who wants a morning run without getting in a car first.
The Apartments Themselves
The development has over 600 units across more than 20 floor plan designs, ranging from studios to three-bedroom homes. Every unit is pet-friendly and comes with an in-home washer and dryer.
Studio apartments start at $1,300 per month.
Getting There
Culdesac sits on the eastern edge of Tempe, about 15 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and 20 minutes from downtown Phoenix. Camelback Mountain and Scottsdale are to the north.
The project broke ground in November 2019 and welcomed its first residents in 2021. For a country where the car has long been treated as a basic requirement of daily life, what’s happening on this quiet stretch of Tempe feels genuinely radical.