Culdesac Tempe

Culdesac Tempe is a car-free mixed-use development in Tempe, Arizona that began construction in 2023.

Culdesac Tempe is intended to be a car-free neighborhood in the U.S. housing 1000 residents when completed but with no accommodation for the cars of inhabitants. It is located in Tempe, Arizona about 2 mi from downtown and is the first project of the startup Culdesac. Construction of the neighborhood began in 2019, was estimated to cost $140 million, span 16 acre, and include 636 apartment units and 24000 ft2 of restaurant and retail space.

Residents in most of the Phoenix metro area rely heavily on personal vehicles for transportation. Culdesac is expected to eliminate the need for cars by locating most necessary services within the neighborhood and providing mobility benefits via partnerships with rideshare companies and public transit agencies. The ban on parking spaces is intended to leave room opportunities for green space including courtyards, gardens, and places for the community to gather in the neighborhood.

Culdesac enlisted Dan Parolek of Opticos Design to leverage their expertise in walkable communities and Missing Middle Housing for the first car-free neighborhood designed for shared mobility in the United States. Opticos led the master planning, designed diverse housing types, and coordinated a multi-disciplinary team including civil engineers, landscape architects, lighting consultants, commercial/food and beverage consultants, and the architect of record.