David King, who teaches urban planning at Arizona State University, said Culdesac Tempe could prompt other developers to push for exemptions from parking requirements. And Mr. Erfurt of Strong Towns said Culdesac Tempe could pave the way, as it were, for similar car-free developments to be built in places like shuttered strip malls, which could address the affordable housing crisis, lessen loneliness and bring people closer to where they work. “We could do all that simply by decoupling parking from development,” Mr. Erfurt said. “In every market, people are looking for that.”

 

Living Car-Free in Arizona, on Purpose and Happily

One community near Phoenix is taking a “completely different” approach to development.

By Cara Buckley

Photographs by Rebecca Noble

• Published March 25, 2025Updated April 10, 2025, 1:31 a.m. ET