About Us

"56% of millennials and 46% of baby boomers prefer to live in more walkable, mixed use neighborhoods."
Strong Towns
Regional Plan Association
2016 Report

"I have seen the future [of housing in America,] and it's called Culdesac."
Jeff Speck
Walkable City
10th Anniversary Edition

Culdesac designs, builds, and manages walkable communities.

Culdesac is a real estate developer and neighborhood manager of walkable, mixed-use communities designed to embrace a culture of belonging, transportation freedom, and thriving local businesses. We built Culdesac Tempe, the first car-free community built from scratch in the US. Located directly on the light rail in Tempe, Arizona, it is already home to over 350 residents and 23 local businesses, and it will have 1000+ residents at completion.

Instead of empty parking lots, residents enjoy weekly events, people-first spaces, and easy access to a portfolio of affordable transportation options, all supporting vibrant local businesses. We’re making walkable living the norm in the US, not the exception.

Our Team

  • Ryan Johnson
    Co-Founder & CEO
    Ryan was on the founding team of Opendoor. Ryan has worked with Bain Capital, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and with the government in Chile on its urban planning initiatives. Ryan has been a real estate investor and operator for 18 years.

  • Caroline Lerner Perel
    Chief Investment Officer
    Caroline is an experienced real estate professional who has developed and financed commercial, hospitality, and residential projects totaling over $4.5 billion. Caroline was previously the Chief Development Officer at Newcrest Image and a Managing Director at Civitas Capital.

  • Erin Boyd
    Government Relations & External Affairs
    Erin builds cross-sector coalitions for better bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and community and retail activation. Erin brings economic and community development experience from Ashoka, a leading foundation for global social impact.

  • Phil Johnson
    Design & Construction
    Phil has been a construction project manager for the last 16 years, overseeing a portfolio of real estate projects, including the construction of the FoundRE Hotel and managing construction of 150 units of the Portland on the Park Condos in Phoenix.

  • Danni El Tayeb
    Business Operations
    Danni leads Business Operations and Marketing for Culdesac. Prior to joining Culdesac, Danni worked at McKinsey & Company, advising clients across the sales and marketing, operations, and private equity practices.

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