A car-free community in Tempe, Arizona, has received the label on social media as America’s first ’15-minute city.’

The World Economic Forum explicitly discusses 15-minute cities as a model to tackle so-called climate change and have everyone’s needs within 15-minutes by walking, biking, or transit.

In other words, it’s a plan to contain populations in confined neighborhoods while deploying systems of control and surveillance.

From the WEF:

Urbanism trends come and go: Broadacre City, Radiant City, EcoCity. Yet the “15-minute city” concept—which implies having all necessary amenities within a short walk, bike ride, or public transit trip from one’s home—has demonstrated stickiness not just as an idea, but as a powerful tool for action – from Paris to Seoul, from Bogotá to Houston.

For longtime urbanists, the 15-minute city seemed to merely repackage the historic urban pattern of development: walkable, mixed-used districts. Old wine, new bottle, as the saying goes. But for a new framing to ignite a global urbanism movement, clearly there’s more going on.

The obvious, yet incomplete, answer is the pandemic. Would Paris’s Mayor Anne Hidalgo have pushed for progressive urban design without this framing? Undoubtedly. But with COVID-19 and its variants keeping everyone home (or closer to home than usual), the 15-minute city went from a “nice-to-have” to a rallying cry. Meeting all of one’s needs within a walking, biking or transit distance was suddenly a matter of life and death. The pandemic created an urgency around equitable urbanism that sidelined arguments about bike lanes and other “amenities” that have roiled communities for years.

Culdesac Tempe appears to hit all the checkmarks for the 15-minute city model.

WATCH:

Wall Street Apes writes:

“There’s a bold real estate experiment underway in Tempe, Arizona. Culdesac is the nation’s first rental community designed and built specifically for car-free living”

This brand new rental community in Tempe has all the amenities, fitness center, dog park, outdoor kitchens, but something’s missing. So there are no cars in this community at all. Isn’t it great?

Culdesac is the first community in the US designed and built specifically for car free living. Cofounder Ryan Johnson says the demand is strong.

Every generation and including 90% of Gen Z would like to pay more to live in a walkable neighborhood.

Retail, restaurants, and to start, nearly 200 apartments all within steps of each other. No cars means no parking spaces, no garages.

Because we don’t have residential parking, it opens us up to have 55% landscape space, and we get to add so much to the neighborhood.

Like social spaces around every corner. The complex is strategically located right next to the area’s light rail system. All residents get a free pass. Ask the first two hundred also get a free electric ebike, and a partnership with Lyft gets them discount rides.

I’ve been fine just going via rail Or just biking.

Juan Ramos, among the first one hundred to move in here, grew up in Arizona, but left because he didn’t like the car dependent sprawl. At 27, he just came back and says living car free has opened his eyes.

Frankly, for most of the apartments I’ve lived in for years, I’ve never even talked to my neighbors. I know peep like, that’s Pete over there, that’s Ben over there, and I’m like, that’s the first time I’ve said that.

Residents often gather near the retail stores, which focus on small businesses. Jada Stratton is moving both her HomeSense business and herself in.

It’s not as, like, affordable out here As it was a few years ago, you know, and having that opportunity to to live and work where you are and just have it as one, that’s perfect. Walkable neighborhoods are all well and good when the weather’s fine, but temperatures here in the summer can sit over a 100 degrees for weeks at a time. And that’ll be the real test to see if Carless Living can really go the distance”

Conspiracy Theorists Were Right Again

According to its website, Culdesac Tempe is the “first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the US.”

Culdesac Tempe writes:

Culdesac Tempe is designed for walkability. We’ve partnered with the world’s leading mobility companies to bring you the most affordable and convenient ways to get around town. As a resident, you’ll receive 15% off all Lyft rides, free rides on the metro, and Bird scooters just a minute away.

Residents receive:

  • 15% off all Lyft rides
  • Free rides on the metro
  • Carsharing starting at $5/hour with Envoy
  • Bird scooters on-site
  • 1,000+ bike parking spots

Initialized Capital highlighted Culdesac Tempe with this behind-the-scenes video in August 2023:

FOX 10 Phoenix reported last year:

It’s 17 acres off Apache Boulevard and McClintock Drive. A complex of 700 apartments with each resident living without a car.

“It’s cool that something like this exists that’s right on a metro stop, it’s built around the bike lanes, everything you need,” said resident Alex Chang.

It sounded like a great idea for Alex Chang, one of the 16 founding residents of Culdesac Tempe.

He was drawn by the idea of getting to know his neighbors, and the two miles worth of bike and walk paths on site.

“The idea of a car-free neighborhood is just really interesting, and I wanted to meet more like-minded people,” Chang said.

That’s also what brought Vik Dhillon on board. He’s the CEO and founder of Street Corner Urban Market.

“I’m a big believer in sustainability. That’s what attracted me to the site,” he said.

He selected the neighborhood as his flagship Arizona location.

His grocery store will be next to the restaurant, coffee shop, co-working space, event courtyards and retail spots, Boyd said.

“Culdesac is making a difference with how we are thinking about land utilization. Right now, if you look around, especially in the Phoenix area, you see a lot of parking lots,” Erin said.

Additional footage and details of Culdesac Tempe below:

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