The First Car-free Community in the US (market, schools, transportation)

[Stadtmensch]

Has anyone else heard of Culdesac Tempe, the first car-free community in the US?



Here is the latest construction update =>



However it still seems to have parking.


Source: Culdesac

[IC_deLight]

"Culdesac Tempe is a car-free rental apartment community in Tempe, AZ."
https://culdesac.com/

[chirack]

Ever, heard of Mackinac island. It was a wealthy community back in the 1898s. It banned cars back then(after all they could afford horses). It is still car free and a tourist attraction. There also are the Amish, who do not own cars and yes some colleges ban parking for freshmen.

Car free is nothing new

[Stadtmensch]

Originally Posted by chirack

Ever, heard of Mackinac island. It was a wealthy community back in the 1898s. It banned cars back then(after all they could afford horses). It is still car free and a tourist attraction. There also are the Amish, who do not own cars and yes some colleges ban parking for freshmen.

Car free is nothing new

Of course car-free is nothing new, but how many car-free communities especially for families have been built in recent years in the United States? I don't know any.

[chirack]

Originally Posted by Stadtmensch

Of course car-free is nothing new, but how many car-free communities especially for families have been built in recent years in the United States? I don't know any.

That is because they can be rather impractical for families. There are burbs with good biking and easy walking to say schools. There are street car burbs(or some newly built ones) that more closely resemble cities. There are even a handful of burbs where one could reasonably go car free. There just isn't much in demand here outside of things like college towns which are mostly car free due to the students often not having or needing cars.

[illtaketwoplease]

the first and soon to be the last.

[Stadtmensch]

Originally Posted by chirack

That is because they can be rather impractical for families. There are burbs with good biking and easy walking to say schools. There are street car burbs(or some newly built ones) that more closely resemble cities. There are even a handful of burbs where one could reasonably go car free. There just isn't much in demand here outside of things like college towns which are mostly car free due to the students often not having or needing cars.

What's rather impractical about a car-free community?

There is nothing more practical than being able to walk directly from the apartment to the grocery store or Kindergarten with the baby stroller. Or when you can take the child for a walk without having to worry about a car running over them.

There may be burbs with sidewalks and bicycle lanes, but the cars still make it more dangerous especially for children and walking/cycling takes usually longer in car-oriented neighborhoods, because of the large lots and streets. Compact cities usually have shorter walking/cycling distances, that make it MORE practical.

You say there is no demand for communities like this, but how do you know if such communities do not or do barely exist in the US. Most Americans just don't know them.

[Stadtmensch]

Originally Posted by illtaketwoplease

the first and soon to be the last.

What makes you think this?

[IC_deLight]

Originally Posted by Stadtmensch

Of course car-free is nothing new, but how many car-free communities especially for families have been built in recent years in the United States? I don't know any.

How is it for "families"?
You're the proponent for the [false] proposition that dense housing is less expensive.

Where is the school?

You can see the rent prices on the website.
At those monthly rent prices, one can own a larger detached SFH.
These places are more of a resort.

The parking there is because the commercial/retail businesses rely on people outside the resort.
No different than strip malls/outdoor malls.

If there is no place for tenants to park, they will likely be facing a significant cost for transportation on top of the rent. Contrary to whatever you are thinking, you aren't going to see parents carrying babies or making grocery runs on Bird scooters.

Urbanophiles tend to imagine unrealistic environments where people simply wander around leisurely all day traipsing from coffee shop to retail to restaurant on foot before walking home. But in real life people go to work to pay the bills.

This is a place for college degree single people in the upper 20s to 30s. Lower ages aren't likely to be able to afford the rent. Older ages will have families and be living elsewhere. In addition, 2/3 of the housing requires one or two stories worth of stairs and that's going to be a turnoff for many - particularly seniors. Sure it might be a "hip" place for some singles or younger dual income/no kids and there will be a market for the housing - but not the market you claim.

See the current weather for Tempe in the image below. 100F at the time of the post with temperatures up to 115F this week. The people living in this place will use transportation to get to work - they won't be bicycling nor walking very far.

If there is no parking, they will be transit-dependent and incurring transportation costs on top of the rent.

[BrooklynJo]

This is the only ideal reason why I would move to a sunbelt city. If they legit make more of this than the attraction would be there for me.