"Just outside sprawling Phoenix, developers have built what they call “the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the US”. Modeled after European villages, Culdesac sits next to a light rail stop and has its own grocery store, restaurant, coffee shop, used clothing store, gym and plenty of gathering spaces.
The 17-acre community will eventually have 1000 residents, but no parking except for guests (the city of Tempe waived mandated parking minimums) though there is plenty of bike parking and free annual light rail passes for all residents.
Culdesac resembles a Mediterranean white village, but it also is aiming at “desert urbanism” to provide relief from the local heat. There are no cement sidewalks (using instead pavers and decomposed granite), white paint to reflect the sun and native plants to help create a microclimate. Culdesac’s Erin Boyd explained that temperatures on their walkways have been measured at 90F (32C) on days when the pavement outside Culdesac is 120F (48C).
While currently units here are only for rent, Boyd explained that Culdesac’s expansion plans include options for residents to buy as well."
It really is a village at about 1 bloc. Its cool but rather expensive. Though being in the middle of Tempe what is the plan? I hope its so popular that the rest of Tempe follows suit but thats a massive infrastructure change. It is more complete than it looks on Maps. If you live in AZ I do suggest checking it out. Just to walk around and be a human instesd of Car Operator N17HB79.
It sounds cool but if sustainability is the goal then the Phoenix metro area is one of the last places in the world they should be building it. What good is a walkable neighborhood with no water?
For real, if no major changes happen to our society Phoenix will be uninhabitable within the next 40 years. Or whenever the Colorado dries up.
this is hilarious because the colorado is already drying up. lake mead is rising but only because of recent rainfall; it was lowest summer 2021, when they had to start cutting off water customers to ensure enough flow for power usage.
the colorado won’t be able to continue supplying all of california ag and az ag and az’s ridiculous population growth.
It makes no sense. Grow the fucking alfalfa somewhere else. Our water management is run by a guy whose only experience is selling it to foreign buyers. What the fuck is going on?
Yup.
There is some water, it would just need to be reallocated from current agricultural use.
I like the idea but all that brick and stone, and lack of greenery seems horrible for a desert. I guess I never lived in a desert but if cities up north are focussing on shade and greenery, surely they need to so much more
It is consistent with a lot of older Middle Eastern cities that have the same issues of heat. You build tall to reduce solar energy at ground level. If the heat gets really bad, you can install light colored fabric shades between the buildings.
You can try to add some greenery, but you are limited on what you can plant due to the climate.
TIL
