Culdesac Tempe: A car-free rental apartment community in Tempe, AZ (mini walking tour)

Рет қаралды 7,709

Күн бұрын

In early December 2023, I stayed in Culdesac for a few days - This is my first look at the property, courtesy of a delightful mini-tour led by Alexys Still, who has been with the community since it was just a construction site.
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Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Culdesac: culdesac.com/
- My ride to Culdesac from the Airport: • Riding my bike from th...
- My Interview with Ryan Johnson, CEO of Culdesac: • A conversation w/ Culd...
- My ride from Culdesac to the Airport: • Join me as I ride to t...
- Culdesac Art video: • Take a Look Inside the...
- A fabulous recent video by ‪@kirstendirksen‬ on Culdesac: • Living car-free in the...
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Credits: Video and audio production by John Simmerman
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Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.
Since 2010, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."
The Active Towns Channel features my original video content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.
Thanks once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.
Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2024

Пікірлер: 89

@quckneasy 6 ай бұрын

I appreciate the principles driving these sorts of developments, though I'm a bit concerned about relying on private entities to provide walkability. The main silver lining I could see is neighborhoods like this stoking further interest in active neighborhood design. I hope Culdesac encourages residents to participate in local government and advocate for walkability, or something. I'm just worried about this only being progress for those who can afford it :(

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

Good point. Private entities can only do so much. The municipalities must be active partners in making walkability and overall mobility choices a reality. Yes, from what I can tell, there are indeed people who want to see a broader change in the community gravitating to this development, and as you will learn from my interview with Ryan Johnson, the CEO, the management team is working directly with the city to accelerate improvements in mobility and land use. Yes, affordability is always a big concern with any walkable development. However, we must always remember that overall living costs include transportation, so having the freedom to not have to own a car is a huge saving to the household budget. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John

@AssBlasster 2 ай бұрын

We have a few TOD apartments like Culdesac with a few shops/restaurants in a 5 min walk (right next to a trolley stop in San Diego), but the insane prices on those apartments ($3-4K) for a 2 bed apt make them inaccessible as a broke supermarket worker and dont give me perks like a free ebike and transit pass. But it's still a step up since their business model has to cater towards active users. And if it's really successful, they could even expand onto adjacent properties and make a mini city like Orenco Station on Portland's Blue MAX line.

@tom_rodriguez 6 ай бұрын

Great looking community. Wish I could see Culdesac develop a car-free community in the Inland Empire.

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

It really is a great-looking community, and it feels quite comfortable... as you'll learn from the next episode with the CEO of Culdesac, a couple of critical things that must be in place are land use zoning and parking codes that make it possible to build as well as convenient, reliable transit connecting residents to meaningful destinations... oh and proximity, the site must be within walking and biking distances to other meaningful destinations... stay tuned for more details. Cheers! John

@InlandEmpiresoccer909 6 ай бұрын

Same. A great place near the future Brightline Rancho Cucamonga station would be cool.

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

@@InlandEmpiresoccer909 Boom! There you go... good to see Cucamonga come up twice in a week's time... we discussed their land use economics in my episode with Joe Minicozzi last Friday. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/j95ze7ia3LSmopc.html Thanks for watching and for contributing the conversation. Cheers! John

@vivalaleta 6 ай бұрын

What a charming place to live.

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

It really is! Thanks for watching.

@JacobBax 6 ай бұрын

That looks realy NICE!!

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

My stay there was quite comfortable, and I look forward to showing you more... stay tuned.

@AustinSersen 6 ай бұрын

Some really neat features, especially having no on-site parking and included transit pass, but the 40 minute ride into Downtown shows just how crazy sprawled out Phoenix is. 20 minute LRT frequencies don't help either. Great start, and hopefully a start of a renaissance in car-free housing that will spread to metro areas that are a little closer to the ideal form.

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

Great points! Yes, developers are watching this closely for potential applications in other metro areas. Big challenges include a large enough lot available and transit already in place. Oh and getting rid of parking requirements, there's always that. Hehe. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John

@markcramer14 6 ай бұрын

Magnificent! Let this be a model for the entire country. Only question, who was Rob, the mystery man? Body guard? Minder? Security?

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

Hehe, 🤣 Rob is involved with marketing at Culdesac, hence wanting to document the experience.

@truettadevil 6 ай бұрын

@@ActiveTowns he looked like a creep following women home lol

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

@@truettadevil Nah, it's all good. No creeping going on here. Thanks for watching!

@SeaBassTian 6 ай бұрын

Looks awesome!

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

It is! Thanks so much for watching. More to come... Cheers! John

@falsificationism 6 ай бұрын

Talk about a step in the right direction! I’d definitely live there, but I anticipate caretaking needs…it’d be great if they had options designed around multigenerational living as well!

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

For sure. I'm sure that multigenerational living can be integrated into the model. Stay tuned for the interview with the CEO. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John

@kitchencarvings4621 Ай бұрын

I am going to visit my daughter next week. She lives 2.5 miles north of Culdesac, and I will ride my bike down there to check it out. This morning, I was on a conservative news collection site and saw an article on the Culdesac. You wouldn't believe the ignorant and hateful comments about it. Now I remember why I don't go on that site much anymore. It's full of narrow-minded, concrete-bound, anti-conceptual mentalities.

@ActiveTowns Ай бұрын

Nice! Enjoy your visit. I highly encourage you to get an official tour and feel free to mention my profile video with Alexys and Ryan. The real potential of this development is in its orientation to transit and the amazing nearby trail system I rode back to the airport. ICYMI here's that vid: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n8hdqtemvMCXg58.html

@kitchencarvings4621 Ай бұрын

@@ActiveTowns Thanks, I'll be sure to mention that I learned about The Culdesac from your videos. I've watched them all. I've been watching a lot of videos about the place, and I'm shocked and saddened by the vicious and uniformed comments calling it central planning and a prison. One commenter claimed that the people who move in won't be allowed to leave. It's ironic that what we have now is the result of central planning, hence the need for zoning variances. I'm trying to figure out what could be at the root of this over-the-top reaction. Are Americans really that consumed by the car?

@ActiveTowns Ай бұрын

Excellent! Nah, don’t get too worked up about those loud extreme voices. They represent a tiny fraction of the population… some have malicious intentions and many are just misinformed. While we have to acknowledge that these extremist voices are out there, it would be a distraction to focus energy on them. I prefer to tell honest positive success stories that provide inspiration for those with open minds willing to consider the possibility of a brighter future.

@knarf_on_a_bike 6 ай бұрын

Wow, just gorgeous! I'd love to live there. Really looking forward to part 2 of this series. 😊

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

Yay! Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, stay tuned. My interview with Ryan will be up next week. Cheers! 😀

@densitydad 6 ай бұрын

Love the model, wish a few pods were taller, 6-8 stories. Not sure if they'll be an ability to retrofit later with some of the vistor parking. Looking forward to part 2!

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

Good question... yeah, stay tuned for more. Thanks so much for watching! Much appreciated. Cheers! John

@christianrogers2361 6 ай бұрын

Pods height are limited by building code.

@densitydad 6 ай бұрын

@@christianrogers2361 was it to protect the viewshed?

@christianrogers2361 6 ай бұрын

Fire safety, elevators, etc.

@wicked-smaht 5 ай бұрын

Only if it was more than rentals, I do not want to rent my entire life

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

Yeah, future units and developments may very well be for sale. Be sure to check out my interview with the CEO, Ryan Johnson: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John

@watcher-someone-awake 2 ай бұрын

Interesting choice of descriptors; 'Pods' are used to describe small housing units (or clusters) as part of larger prison blocks.

@ActiveTowns 2 ай бұрын

Pods were also how my elementary school's classroom clusters described... fortunately we liked school, so we didn't consider it a prison. Thanks for tuning in. Be sure to check out video no. 2 with the CEO Ryan Johnson here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html Cheers! John

@sydburd 5 ай бұрын

as someone from phoenix, this is a fantastic concept, however i feel as though the choice to build this in tempe wasn't maybe the best decision creating a walkable community success story lol, I doubt you'll see many people at all socializing and hanging out in the common spaces when the temperature is in the 90s and 100s. I mean maybe this will work for the short period from december-march lol but yeeeah. maybe they should've made the designs more indoors?

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

You bring up some good points... make sure you watch my interview with the CEO of Culdesac, Ryan Johnson. I may have to schedule a visit in the heat of summer to see what the life is like then, cause I can tell you it was amazing in the evening for the Thursday night Little Cholla. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html Thank you so much for watching and for contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John

@zacharyesparza9300 5 ай бұрын

I had gone to tour around August time when it was 90 something degrees and I felt cold walking around Decently hot day and I was in shorts and a t shirt and I felt like I should have worn a jacket with some pants. The heat should not be a problem at all considering how much shade there is everywhere and the closeness of the buildings.

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

@@zacharyesparza9300 Thanks for this feedback. It's very helpful. Cheers! John

@kshillingford4921 2 ай бұрын

@@zacharyesparza9300 SMH WHY do you "internet people" INSIST on PROVIDING FALSE "knowledge". Tempe , AZ, which I just left less than a week ago and have spent over 40 years visiting and staying extended periods in, is ALREADY in 100+ day temps in May and it only gets HOTTER and does not RELENT. There is NO SHADE IN AMERICA that will COOL an AZ SPRING/SUMMER/EARLY FALL day.

@anaelle3437 4 ай бұрын

It looks like she was hiding something when she showed him one of the units. She didn’t have a walk around

@ActiveTowns 4 ай бұрын

Nah, not at all. She knew I was mostly interested in the property. Plus I was staying in my own unit looking down on the delightful restaurant and plaza. Thanks for watching. Be sure to catch my interview with the CEO, Ryan Johnson: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html Cheers! John

@goldencloe3513 3 ай бұрын

No way!!

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

Way!😀

@vespaman101 5 ай бұрын

Cool but it needs to have condos. People should be living there not JUST renting there. They've kinda taken the community apartment living and upscaled it.

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

Absolutely. And there's nothing to say that future phases of this or other developments won't be in that format. Be sure to watch my interview with Culdesac CEO, Ryan Johnson here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html Thanks so much for tuning in. I hope you are enjoying the Channel. Cheers! John

@pixiedust1273 3 ай бұрын

How do people move in? Like transport their furniture and such without cars?

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

Watch my interview with Ryan Johnson, CEO of Culdesac for more details: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html fyi The use of motor vehicles is not banned and in fact there are car share vehicles on site

@user-cr1iz8fw6h 6 ай бұрын

Yes, finally I can walk in 115F temps and pay exorbitant prices for it😂 I’m all for building more compact, walkable cities but it’s not a one size fits all solution lol. Cars are essential in the Phoenix Valley for about 4 months a year.

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

Yeah, I hear ya. My preference for living with these temps is definitely to ride a bike over walking everywhere... and having safe routes with a lot of trees is a bonus.

@southend26 6 ай бұрын

This design is cooler than car centric neighborhoods. There's less exposed pavement to just bake and the high walls shade the streets.

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

@@southend26 Yes. Excellent point. Thanks for watching. 😀

@Arjay404 6 ай бұрын

Wait, if there is no parking for private vehicles then why is there such a massive parking lot and cars that appear to be private vehicles parked in that parking lot? Why is there even a parking LOT if there is no parking for private vehicles, wouldn't just a few parking bays along some of the roads be enough for shared vehicles, drop off points and deliveries?

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

Ah, good eye! No private car parking is available for residents... stay tuned, I'll address these parking spots in the next video with Culdesac CEO Ryan Johnson. Cheers! John

@rogercampbell7248 5 ай бұрын

Studio $1300's; 1Bdrm 1400's; 2Bdrm 2000's; 3Bdrm 3200's. Low income friendly???

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

Great point. Yes, it's definitely low-income-friendly. As housing affordability is both direct housing costs plus transportation. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA) data, the costs of owning and operating a car has ballooned to $12,128/year or $1,015 per month: newsroom.aaa.com/2023/08/annual-new-car-ownership-costs-boil-over-12k/ I also talk about this in my interview with Ryan Johnson, the CEO of Culdesac: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html

@l.e.phillips Ай бұрын

Kinda depressing that that’s what is considered low income friendly these days. 😖 When you think about the general rule of thumb for rent, it’s not supposed to be more than 1/3 your monthly income. (Some places require proof you make more than 3X the rent price per month, but I don’t know that that’s the case here). Taking taxes into consideration, this means you’d need to be making about $30hr, 40 hrs a week just for the studio.

@vanhelsing744 5 ай бұрын

Hey, I got a question for ya?? Can anyone apply for these rentals? Can Homeless people get aid? think about it. IN other words, if a homeless person has assistance from the government ( money talks) can they be accepted?

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

Not sure. This would be a good question to pose to the Culdesac leasing office. Their website is in the video description below 👇

@halymachado 5 ай бұрын

So I hat ate the job opportunities within the community? Doesn’t look like much, most likely people will have to work in different locations, if that’s the case they would have to travel out of the community in order to find a ride to their workplace. Because their is no parking for private vehicles it would be a real inconvenience. Idk it’s a nice idea but I’m not quite sold.

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

The community is built on the light rail transit line that easily transports residents into downtown Tempe and the Arizona State University campus. Many of the residents are doing just this while saving thousands of dollars per year by not having to support a car that is no longer needed. Be sure to check out my interview with Culdesac CEO Ryan Johnson: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html Thanks for watching. Cheers! John

@kitchencarvings4621 Ай бұрын

Nobody is forcing anyone to live there. It's for people who want to live car-free, hence the light rail right out front. Within a 5-mile radius, there are hundreds of places to work. That's less than half an hour's ride.

@ClayShentrup 5 ай бұрын

I feel like making it car free is totally missing the point. If you want walkable Dutch neighborhoods, you have to own the streets. You have to make them narrow and put protected bike lanes on any that aren't extremely slow. You do that by building out an entire multi-block development where you get to design and build the streets. The point is not to eliminate cars, it is eliminate subsidies to them so that the number of cars will be appropriate for the market demand, rather than people just driving everywhere because we don't have carbon taxes and we offer free or subsidized parking and whatnot.

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

Precisely. Remember, this is the mini-tour. Be sure to watch my interview with the CEO of the development, Ryan Johnson, here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html Thanks so much for tuning in. Cheers! John

@nik257 5 ай бұрын

I like the idea, but I feel it's missing that urban diversity. It feels like a sanitized version of a city. But hopefully it's just one piece in a wider urban puzzle!

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

Precisely. It is definitely just one yet very important piece as it demonstrates that housing can be built without the stifling minimum parking requirements. I talk about this more in-depth with Culdesac CEO Ryan Johnson in this video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html Thank you so much for watching and for contributing to the conversation. Cheers! John

@jonw999999 2 ай бұрын

Its the Phoenix metro area, there was never more than a few blocks of urban diversity. It's otherwise typical subdivision single family houses or gargantuan modern apartment "complex" buildings as a single use pod.

@danplewnarz 5 ай бұрын

It's also a water-free community.

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

Yes, water shortages due to global warming is a huge concern for much of the southwest, hence even more reason for the lessening of car dependency. Thanks for watching. I hope you also give my interview with Culdesac CEO Ryan Johnson a watch: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html Cheers! John

@katrinaparris8013 5 ай бұрын

I love the idea but why build these buildings so close and natural light difficult to penetrate between buildings.

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

Helps keep the environment much cooler in the hot Sonoran desert - more details are included in my interview with Ryan Johnson the CEO of Culdesac: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html

@l.e.phillips Ай бұрын

It can reach about 115°F fairly regularly here in the summer. Sometimes even hotter. Trust me; you don’t want to be in the sun.

@kitchencarvings4621 Ай бұрын

@@ActiveTowns So many commenters don't seem to have watched the video.

@ActiveTowns Ай бұрын

@@kitchencarvings4621 Yep.It happens all the time. 🤷‍♂

@marquesmarchand722 13 күн бұрын

Do only 20somethings live here? I only bike and walk and I am artist but I am 45 and would not want to be surrounded by people in thier 20s all the time.

@ActiveTowns 13 күн бұрын

There seems to be a healthy mix of ages. I encourage you to check it out. If the guest suite I stayed in is available, stay a few days and catch the Thursday evening Cholla

@southend26 6 ай бұрын

Not seeing any downsides. Looks like the way to go with new developments.

@ActiveTowns 6 ай бұрын

Yeah, the key is definitely access to transit, proximity to meaningful destinations, and a network of active mobility facilities. Thanks so much for tuning in. Cheers! John

@freedomwon2004 5 ай бұрын

No gym? No coffee shop?

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

Of course, remember this was just a very quick mini-tour. Click here to watch my full interview with the CEO of Culdesac, Ryan Johnson: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html

@peteferguson518 3 ай бұрын

The urbanism is great but the architecture sucks, it could have looked like a honeymoon Spanish or Italian village but they went for that bland minimalist style that makes everything look depressing.

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for watching. The challenge with architecture & beauty is it is so often in the eyes of the beholder... this specific design was inspired by many places that deal with intense heat, one of which was Mykonos in the Greek Isles. Be sure to check out my interview with Ryan Johnson, the CEO of Culdesac as we do talk about this. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html Cheers! John

@peteferguson518 3 ай бұрын

@@ActiveTowns I didn't even expect you to reply lol. I'll watch the interview when I get the time but it's undeniable that there is a marked disdain for traditionalism among the architect community, it's not even a matter of cost, they just feel so above doing the kind of architecture that laymen like. I think there should be democratic control over architectural rules so we could hopefully get rid of the depressing and offensive buildings that make up most of our urban landscapes.

@ActiveTowns 3 ай бұрын

@@peteferguson518Yeah, it's a habit. hehe I try to reply to all comments. Heck if y'all take the time to watch the vids, I should at least attempt to respond to questions and/or comments. I actually know the architects (I'll be interviewing them later this year hopefully in Portugal) and they are not adverse to traditional architecture at all, and in fact they embrace it openly. This is truly a context sensitive approach based on the environmental conditions. The vid with Ryan will explain more so I won't spoil it here. Again thanks so much watching. And I hope you enjoy some of the other content here on the Channel. 😀

@lelecheesy 5 ай бұрын

Oh yea but you have to pay for parking if you do have a car

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

Just to be clear, there is no parking at all provided for residents because they don't have cars. For more details be sure to watch my interview with the Culdesac, CEO, Ryan Johnson: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html Thanks for tuning in. Cheers! John

@ricardooronia7291 5 ай бұрын

So they are trying to make Arizona Mexico again lol. Cars are dumb and always have been. 😂

@ActiveTowns 5 ай бұрын

Well cars certainly have their utility and can be quite useful, hence ride-share is facilitated as part of Culdesac, but car dependency is definitely dumb in my book. lol 😂 Thanks so much for tuning in and be sure to watch my interview with Culdesac CEO Ryan Johnson, if you haven't already. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hc2eqpp_uODZfYk.html Cheers! John