美国的大部分基础设施可能是为了容纳汽车而建造的，但一个美国城镇的设计是利用步行作为主要的交通来源。
Culdesac是亚利桑那州坦佩市的一个社区，就在菲尼克斯城外，看起来可能与该地区的其他新开发项目相似，但有一个主要区别:它是为无车而建的。
没有车辆，Culdesac的居民被鼓励在镇上步行或骑自行车。一个意想不到的结果是，社区是在户外通勤时建立的，伊莱克特·胡格，卡尔德萨克的居民，告诉美国广播公司新闻。
“有这么多的人没有车，所以我能够以这种心态生活，即使没有车也可以这样生活，”Hug说。
社区规划者把精品店、餐馆、农贸市场和植物商店带到了Culdesac，这样就不需要开车去那些地方了。该镇还举办社区聚会和社交活动，遍布社区广场、庭院和其他休闲区。
“步行去当地的咖啡店或者去邻居家是非常有趣的，你知道，就像和朋友家人在一起一样，”Hug说。
居民雅各布·斯坦坎普告诉美国广播公司新闻，他开始在每天走的同一条路线上认出熟悉的面孔。他说，呆在车外让他有了更自然的方式去认识邻居。
“它比汽车更友好一点，”Steinkamp说。“如果你向车里的人挥手，他们会问，‘那家伙在干什么?’但是骑自行车或者走路，就更自然了。"
她说，对于从十几岁就合法失明的Hug来说，交通的减少给了她更多的安全感。
这个社区位于美国最热的地区之一，那里的气温经常达到三位数的华氏温度。但它的设计允许更冷的环境，联合创始人兼首席执行官瑞恩·约翰森告诉ABC新闻。
约翰逊说，Culdesac拥有大约55%的景观空间，这使得该镇比街对面的另一个社区凉爽了大约15华氏度。
“这是因为没有一滴沥青，”约翰逊说。"这里有很多树和树荫。"
交通运输占全球排放量的很大一部分。根据美国国家统计局的数据，2022年，交通运输占温室气体排放总量的28%美国环境保护署.
约翰逊说，社区规划者追溯历史，作为城镇设计的灵感，并补充说，目前只有不到10%的美国人生活在适合步行的社区。
“这是我们过去的建筑方式，”约翰逊说。"建造适合步行的社区已经有几千年了."
约翰逊说，在过去的100年里，随着汽车在美国变得越来越突出，房地产建设、道路和城市规划也随之发展。
“但我们现在展示了什么是可能的，”约翰逊说。"我们的居民使用各种交通工具，而不是私家车."
此外，该社区远离山谷地铁轻轨，使居民能够进入更大的区域。居民可以免费获得无限制的轻轨和公共汽车通行证。
Hug说，Culdesac的居民不受油价上涨的影响，因为他们在日常生活中不使用汽车。
“我不用担心付汽油费，”Hug说。“我知道汽油价格现在正在影响许多家庭，这是一项我不必支付的费用。”
他说，自从搬到Culdesac后，Steinkemp和他的妻子通过骑自行车或电动滑板车而不是开车来省钱。
“我觉得城市的成本，更宽的道路，更多的停车场，不是我想贡献的东西，”Steinkamp说。
Earth Day 2026: What it's like to live in a car-free town in America
The majority of U.S. infrastructure may have been built to accommodate cars, but one American town was designed to utilize walking as the primary source of transportation.
Culdesac, a community in Tempe, Arizona, just outside Phoenix, may look similar to other new developments in the area, but there is one major difference: it was built to be car-free.
Without vehicles, residents of Culdesac are encouraged to walk or bike around town. An unexpected result is the community that is built while commutes take place in the open air, Electra Hug, a resident of Culdesac, told ABC News.
"There're so many people that don't have a car and so I'm able to be in this mindset that I can live this life this way even without a vehicle," Hug said.
Community planners brought boutiques, restaurants, a farmers market and a plant shop to Culdesac, eliminating the need to drive to those places. The town also hosts community get-togethers and socializes throughout the neighborhood's plazas, courtyards and other hangout areas.
"It's so fun to just be able to walk to a local coffee shop or go to our neighbor's house by feet and you know just be in community with friends and family," Hug said.
Resident Jacob Steinkamp told ABC News that he began to recognize familiar faces on the same route he takes every day. Being outside a vehicle has led to more natural ways to meet his neighbors, he said.
"It's a little bit more friendly than a car," Steinkamp said. "If you wave someone in a car, they're like, 'What's that guy doing?' But on a bike or walking, it's just more natural."
For Hug, who has been legally blind since she was a teenager, the lack of traffic has offered an increased sense of safety, she said.
The community is located in one of the hottest regions of the U.S., where temperatures regularly reach degrees in the triple digits. But its design has allowed for cooler conditions, Ryan Johnson, co-founder and CEO, told ABC News.
Culdesac has about 55% of landscape space, which makes the town about 15 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than another neighborhood just across the street, Johnson said.
"And that's because there's not a drop of asphalt," Johnson said. "There's lots of trees and shade."
Transportation makes up a massive portion of global emissions. In 2022, transportation was responsible for 28% of total greenhouse gas emissions, according to theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Community planners harkened back through history as inspiration for the town's design, Johnson said, adding that less than 10% of Americans currently live in walkable neighborhoods.
"This is how we used to build," Johnson said. "There were millennia of building walkable neighborhoods."
As cars became more prominent in the U.S. over the past 100 years, the construction of real estate, roads and city planning evolved with it, Johnson said.
"But we're now showing what's possible," Johnson said. "Our residents use a portfolio of transportation options instead of a private vehicle."
In addition, the community is off the Valley Metro light rail, giving residents access to the greater region. Residents receive a free unlimited light rail and bus pass.
Culdesac residents are immune to rising gas prices, since they don't utilize cars in their everyday lives, Hug said.
"I don't have to worry about paying for gas," Hug said. "I know gas prices are affecting a lot of homes right now and that is one expense that I don't have to pay for."
Steinkemp and his wife have saved money since moving to Culdesac by using a bike or electric scooter, rather than driving, he said.
"I feel like the cost of the city, wider roads, more parking, isn't something that I want to be contributing to," Steinkamp said.
