Arizona summers are hot — sometimes dangerously so. Phoenix is the hottest city in the US, with summer temperatures regularly exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit. In 2022, nearly 400 people in Maricopa County — which includes Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, and other surrounding cities — died from heat-related conditions, according to Maricopa County Public Health.
The Arizona heat can also cause severe burns from contact with outdoor surfaces that can be as scorching as 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Enter Culdesac, a car-free community in Tempe that is combatting the area's heat problem with a neighborhood built to cool.
The neighborhood, where cars are banned and residents get around with public transit and electric bikes, opened in 2023. A company representative told Business Insider that the 17-acre block houses 200 people, but the company is aiming for 1,000 residents.
I recently got a tour of Culdesac, where I anticipated open street paths, shops, and amenities residents could walk to.
And I found all of that. But I didn't expect to feel cooler on the block than on the surrounding streets.
During my tour, I learned that Culdesac feels about 15 degrees colder than the city's temperature, thanks to initiatives by the housing startup during the building process.