20 / Crafting the American car-free neighborhood / with Culdesac founder Ryan Johnson

Ryan Johnson — CEO and founder of Culdesac — is in good traffic, amidst building the first car-free neighborhood in the United States, in Tempe, Arizona. We talk the evolution of American neighborhoods, working with cities instead of against them, and the future of mobility beyond private car ownership. Ryan also speaks on the potential pathways to living car-free, as well as the math, places, and ebikes that enchant those paths.

Appropriately, we’re live from the new good traffic studio at Culdesac Tempe, in Tempe, Arizona. We'll be live from the site all Spring.

We discuss:

• 01:40 What it’s like to actually live in the first car-free neighborhood in the States.


• 02:49 The widely supported importance of walkable neighborhoods.


• 03:40 The unique physical fabric of Culdesac.


• 04:07 The evolution of housing in the U.S., and the need for betterment.


• 05:47 The decision to build in Tempe, Arizona as a proving ground.


• 08:28 The role of cities (like Tempe) in supporting housing.


• 10:44 The value of usable space in urban design.


• 12:45 More on car-free living.


• 17:25 Routing the trajectory of American urbanism.


• 20:12 Ryan’s journey to living car-free in multiple cities and countries.


• 21:57 Taking a Lyft from Phoenix to Sedona, and the perception of rideshare as a formidable and affordable transportation option.


• 23:49 The cultural adoption of autonomous vehicles and rideshare as norms.


• 29:44 Ryan’s ebike collection, and inviting new folks on rides.


• 32:28 A memorable commute in Rio de Janeiro.

Further context:

• Views from the growing neighborhood.


• Culdesac.com, for more.

Connecting with Ryan:

• ⁠⁠⁠On LinkedIn.


• On Twitter.

Connecting with me, Brad:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On Instagram.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On TikTok⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On LinkedIn⁠⁠.⁠