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Comment by hamburgerwah | Hacker News Reader

It should be pointed out that this "neighborhood" is just a mixed use apartment complex of 760 rental units that does not currently exist yet though construction has sort of started. All pictures shown are renderings and this link is basically content marketing for it. They seem to cost ~$200-300 more per month than a market studio with parking in the same area.

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From a marketing perspective, it confuses me that the main rendering on the front page of their car-free neighborhood prominently features a food truck, and most of the visible words in the picture are "truck."

I get that you want to depict walkable attractions, but couldn't it have been a small pop-up stand or some other kind of thing that is not a car?

I would gladly pay $200/month more for an apartment that enables me to live in a walking community without so much space being taken up by parking. Not sure if Culdesac will fulfill that goal, but "you don't even get a parking spot!" doesn't seem like a sell, to me.

I think it's a bit more like a microscopic walking oasis in an absolute megaocean of car infrastructure. Phoenix metro has probably the best car infrastructure of any US metro, maybe best in the world. Also for 3 months of the year it is not very comfortable to walk outside, day or night, because it is over 100f (yes including during the night). You won't die but it's not really comfortable.

I think "market studio" really depends on the target. Student-targeting studios are definitely $200/mth cheaper and Tempe has lots of those, but "luxury" studios within 0.5 mi. are already at the same price or higher.

That is odd to me too. Wouldn't many high-rise apartment buildings in a downtown corridor have more mixed-use/retail/office options as well as a thriving downtown area to walk to?

I was amused by the “built neighborhood” being entirely renders.

Yeah it really doesn't sound as attractive as an entire district built without cars being the first-class citizen.

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