Category Archives: Zoning

The Problem With Low-Density Housing, As Seen From Space

Last week, Google made available an astonishing resource, which enables us to review satellite imagery of anywhere in the US on an annual basis from 1984 through 2012. You can read about the project here. They were able to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Local, Sustainability, Zoning | 2 Comments

Sunshine State Shows How Density = $$$

“Where Urban Amenities Meets Small-Town Living”. That phrase, which fits Princeton perfectly, is in fact the motto of Sarasota, Florida. Sarasota, a community of 56,000 people, is itself the major urban center of Sarasota County. Unlike the Princeton area, Sarasota … Continue reading →

Posted in Density, Zoning | 8 Comments

The Alternative To Walkable Homes In Princeton Is Car-Dependency

Yesterday we reported about twelve different ‘Princeton’ communities in the Central Jersey area. From ‘Princeton Gardens’ to ‘Princeton Oaks’, these communities are united by their use of ‘Princeton’ in their name, and the fact that they aren’t actually in Princeton. … Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, Princeton, Real estate, Smart Growth, Traffic, Zoning | 8 Comments

Paolo Soleri, Visionary Architect, Anti-Sprawl Advocate, Dies Aged 93

The architect, planner and wind-bell manufacturer, Paolo Soleri, died last week at the age of 93. The New York Times, who call him ‘the architect of counterculture’ has this report of his life. You can find another great obituary (with … Continue reading →

Posted in Sustainability, Zoning | 1 Comment

For Dying Plainsboro Mall, The Solution Is In Plain Sight

Since the closure of the Superfresh supermarket earlier this year, the Plainsboro Plaza Shopping Center is looking increasingly shabby. With acres of empty parking lots, vacant stores and a generally sad atmosphere, it bears all the symptoms of a dead … Continue reading →

Posted in Local, Smart Growth, Zoning | 6 Comments

Looking For Walkable Solutions

We LOVE this image from urb.en. This gets at one of our key beliefs: that urban planning has for the last 50 years incentivized and promoted car-dependent living, to the extent that many of us require a car to accomplish … Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, Density, Local, Princeton, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Traffic, Zoning | 6 Comments

Why Did AvalonBay Walk Away From Court Fight With Princeton?

AvalonBay and Princeton have entered into a settlement that will suspend AvalonBay’s litigation that had threatened to see the two sides square off in Mercer County Court at the end of April. The court case related to the Princeton Planning … Continue reading →

Posted in Local, Princeton, Zoning | 49 Comments

Green Spaces and Courtyards

(Note-This post was updated 4.2.2013 in the light of ongoing developments regarding the proposed AvalonBay development at the former Princeton Hospital site.) At the southwestern end of Nassau Street in downtown Princeton lies a number of beautiful buildings that are … Continue reading →

Posted in Density, Local, Princeton, Zoning | 1 Comment

Princeton: Who Can Afford It?

The Princeton area has been home to many different people through the years. The Lenni Lenape people, after centuries of living around Princeton, were displaced by Europeans in the 16th and 17th centuries, with subsequent settlement by Quakers and other … Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, Local, Princeton, Real estate, Zoning | 8 Comments

1937: The Year Palmer Square Brought Smart Growth To Princeton

Palmer Square, at the heart of downtown Princeton, offers a mixture of stores, boutiques, restaurants, and condominium homes-among much more-all centered around an attractive park-like square. Loved by almost everyone in the community, walkable Palmer Square is listed as the … Continue reading →

Posted in Density, Local, Princeton, Smart Growth, Zoning | 5 Comments