<
https://www.dwell.com/article/culdesac-tempe-car-free-neighborhood-resident-experience-8a14ebc7>
'It’s been two years since Culdesac Tempe, the self-proclaimed "first car-free
neighborhood in America," opened with a goal of making walkability its
centerpiece. With the first phase finished last year, the high-profile
development continues to unfold on a 17-acre site along a light rail line in an
established neighborhood about 15 miles east of downtown Phoenix. The $200
million project now includes 288 apartment units with about 300 tenants,
reeling residents in with appeals of a healthier, more eco-friendly lifestyle,
built-in community with ample amenities, and accessible transit to Tempe and
the greater metro area.
Along with the hype, the ambitious experiment—building a "car-free"
neighborhood in one of the most auto-dependent population centers on the
planet—has aroused skepticism. An article by the nonprofit advocacy
organization Strong Towns, for instance, contends that Culdesac is a far cry
from "the incremental urbanism and thickening our cities need. A dozen or even
a thousand Culdesacs can’t solve that problem," because they would lack
long-term growth benefits including "the resilience of a system where many
hands have built the neighborhood and have a financial stake in it" and would
reflect "a zoning and finance stream that favors industrial over incremental
production."
But these critics don’t live there. Those with more proximity see the place as
a big plus.'
Via
What Could Go Right?: Lifejackets, Not Tobacco Enemas
https://theprogressnetwork.org/drowning-prevention-progress/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
