I’m 28 years old and still don’t have my driver’s license. Frankly, cars scare me, and getting behind the wheel is a responsibility I still can’t confidently accept.
Luckily, I live in NYC, where a car-free lifestyle is attainable. There are plenty of ways to get around without a license, from efficient public transportation systems to walkable neighborhoods and ride-share apps.
But I don’t want to live in the Big Apple forever. For years, I’ve dreaded learning to drive before eventually moving elsewhere in the US.
The anxiety ate away at me until a recent trip to Arizona, where I visited a car-free neighborhood in Tempe called Culdesac.
A walkable neighborhood in a city suburb
Culdesac opened in 2023 and currently has 172 units and 200 residents, a company representative told Business Insider.
The 17-acre block 10 miles from Phoenix has shaded courtyards, apartments, a restaurant, and amenities, including a two-story fitness center, oversize games, and a weekly night market with vendors.
Culdesac also has 11 micro-retailers on-site, including a market, a laundromat, a medical spa, an art studio, a plant shop, and a thrift store.
Getting around without a car
Culdesac has visitor parking, but residents are not allowed to park a car within 0.25 miles of the block.
Some residents, like Culdesac CEO and cofounder Ryan Johnson, don’t even own a car.
Others, like 24-year-old Brad Biehl, who moved in earlier this year, park their vehicles elsewhere in Tempe.
“It’s a road trip machine because I never use it to get around town,” Biehl said of his car. “Walking is pretty much my primary mode of transportation, biking is a secondary mode, and public transit is the third mode.”
Biehl expressed that while the block is walkable, surrounding streets are not. Another Culdesac resident previously told BI that this can make living without a car difficult.
But Culdesac makes navigating streets built for cars a little easier. Residents get a mobility package worth almost $3,000 a year, including a Valley Metro pass for public transportation and discounted rides with apps like Lyft and the self-driving taxi service Waymo, according to the company’s website.
Culdesac has a stop on the Valley Metro’s light-rail system that connects Phoenix, Mesa, and Tempe. The block also has on-site Bird Scooters, 1,000 bike parking spots, and car rental services by day.
Biehl said weekly errands like grocery shopping are easy to do with the mobility package.
“Every other week, I go to a big grocery store, either by a ride share or, if I have the time, I walk,” Biehl said. “Then I walk or bike to Trader Joe’s for smaller things each week.”
Biehl said stores like Sprouts, Fry’s, Safeway, Trader Joe’s, and Target are easily accessible by bike, light rail, or a roughly 30-minute walk.
A car-free future
With plans to eventually have 1,000 residents, 760 units, and more local shops, Culdesac is still growing — and so is the area’s public transportation system.
BI previously reported that Phoenix plans to expand the light-rail system, bus services, bike lanes, and crosswalks by 2050, making it easier for Culdesac residents to get to and around the state capital.
Visiting Culdesac and learning about the area’s public transportation systems made me realize that a car-free lifestyle in the US is possible outside mega-cities like New York.
Perhaps if I move to this Arizona neighborhood, I may never have to get my driver’s license.
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