Pioneering Car-Free Neighbourhood a Stepping Stone to City

Tempe, Arizona, US

A company developing the US’s first car-free neighbourhood from scratch has raised US$30 million (A$41.89 million) to fuel its goal to create a car-free city.

As Culdesac prepares to officially open its first project – a neighbourhood in Tempe, Arizona – the company has raised a $30M Series A led by Khosla Ventures.

Culdesac Tempe, which opens in a few months, is a 1,000 person neighbourhood designed and built from scratch to be car free. Fifty-five percent of the neighborhood is open space, and the community includes a grocery store, coffee shop, restaurant, bike shop and coworking space.

“We’ve designed the space around modern mobility, because how we move determines how we live, with designated e-bike garages, over 1,000 bike racks, on-site EV carshare, and integrated scooter parking and rideshare pick-up zones,” according to the Culdesac website.

“All residents get US$3,000 (A$4,190) a year in mobility benefits through a one-of-a-kind partnership with Lyft, Bird, Envoy, and Arizona Valley Metro.

“We estimate that residents of Culdesac Tempe will emit 50% less transportation-related CO₂ emissions than their neighbours.

“We’ve started the next set of Culdesac neighbourhoods, each three times bigger than Culdesac Tempe. These communities are located in growing cities across the country and will allow thousands of people to have a new option of how to live.”

It says 52% of Americans want to live in a walkable neighbourhood but only eight percent do.

“In fact, most Americans live in places where getting around via private car is the only option,” Culdesac says in a statement announcing its raised capital.

“With record increases in congestion, loneliness, traffic fatalities, and global warming, building a new option for the way we live has never been more important.”