City east of Tempe (4)
I believe the answer is:
mesa
'city east of tempe' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for mesa that I've seen before include "High land" , "Flat hill" , "Flat-topped tableland" , "Flat-topped hill with steep sides, common in the southwestern US" , "In the US south-west, a steep-sided flat-topped hill" .)