I moved to an Arizona oasis that banned cars. It's as dreamy as I expected, but it can be a struggle to venture outside it.

Courtesy of John-Robert Rodríguez; Culdesac

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with John-Robert Rodríguez, 24, a teacher in Tempe, Arizona, who lives in the car-free community Culdesac. Rodríguez moved to Culdesac, which has about 150 residents so far but will eventually house 1,000 residents in 760 units, in October 2023 from Pflugerville, Texas, after growing up in Florida. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.