Walkability Answers From Council Candidate Lance Liverman

Posted on October 28, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Lance Liveryman

Incumbent Princeton Council member Lance Liveryman (click to expand).

On November 3, Princeton will elect two Council members. The candidates are incumbent Council Members Heather Howard and Lance Liverman (both Democrats), and challengers Kelly DiTosto and Lynn Lu Irving (Republican party). As in the last two election cycles, we asked the candidates some questions about walkable living in Princeton. Today, we are pleased to publish responses from Lance Liverman. Responses from Heather Howard are available here. We’ll be linking to responses from the other candidates as the week goes on. We are very grateful to them for engaging in this discussion and for running for office! Continue reading →

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Walkability Answers From Princeton Council Candidate Heather Howard

Posted on October 27, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Heather Howard (click to expand).

Incumbent Princeton Council member Heather Howard (click to expand).

On November 3, Princeton will elect two Council members. The candidates are incumbent Council Members Heather Howard and Lance Liverman (both Democrats), and challengers Kelly DiTosto and Lynn Lu Irving (Republican party). As in the last two election cycles, we asked the candidates some questions about walkable living in Princeton. Today, we are pleased to publish responses from Heather Howard. We’ll be linking to responses from the other candidates as the week goes on. We are very grateful to them for engaging in this discussion and for running for office! Continue reading →

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The Legacy Of Princeton University’s 2016 Campus Plan

Posted on October 23, 2015 by walkableprinceton
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The Streicker Bridge, completed 2010, which spans Washington Road in Princeton. (click to expand)

In 2015, Princeton University is making a new Campus Plan, a process that will be of tremendous importance for shaping the future built environment around town. But what about the ‘Campus 2016‘ plan, which has guided University development since 2005? What have been the hits and misses, and how did the plan affect the town? Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, architecture, Community, Complete Streets, Placemaking, Princeton, Sustainability, Transit, Walking | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Will Princeton’s New Housing Goals Promote Walkability and Diversity?

Posted on October 21, 2015 by walkableprinceton
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Walkable housing under construction at Greenview Avenue in Princeton. (click to expand)

Princeton’s Planning Board is revising the Housing Element of the Community Master Plan. As part of this effort, they have developed a list of ‘goals’ that are intended to guide plans for housing. The goals appear to be a worthy effort to bring together competing visions of how development should proceed in Princeton. But are they sufficient to address the need for housing, and to promote walkable living? Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, planning, Princeton, Smart Growth, Sustainability | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Town Of Princeton Aims To Recruit ‘On-Street Parking Advocate’ For Bike Planning Effort

Posted on October 15, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Mercer Road heading towards downtown Princeton: "Bike Lane Ends". (click to expand)

Mercer Road heading from Lawrence Township toward downtown Princeton: “Bike Lane Ends”. (click to expand)

The Town of Princeton recently won a grant to make a new bicycle master plan. The plan could pave the way for improved bike facilities around the town. But in an extraordinary step, the town has advertised for an ‘On-Street Parking Advocate’ to join a key committee tasked with overseeing the creation of the new master plan. The move suggests that the town may not be serious about creating top-quality bike facilities. Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Biking, Complete Streets, planning, Princeton, The Parking Question | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Coach USA Service Between Princeton And New Brunswick: Could Do Better

Posted on October 14, 2015 by walkableprinceton
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Suburban Transit 100 bus service, which connects Princeton and New Brunswick, seen here in Kingston. (click to expand)

Princeton and New Brunswick are two anchors of the Central Jersey tech corridor. Both towns are substantial employment centers, and are connected by a chain of residential communities and shopping areas. It should be possible to run an efficient transit service between them, which would allow employees to commute to many workplaces without using a car. But the only transit service is the Coach USA 100 service, a long-distance commuter bus that is operated by Suburban Transit. It suffers from several significant problems that limits its usefulness as a local commuter option, but still works in a pinch. Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Local, Princeton, Transit | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Fact Check: Where Is Princeton’s Affordable Housing Concentrated?

Posted on October 9, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Affordable housing developments with > 10 units in Princeton. Blue line is former Borough boundary. * indicates units under construction. (click to expand)

Affordable housing developments with > 10 units in Princeton. Blue line is former Borough boundary. * indicates units under construction. (click to expand)

Princeton Planning Board continues to discuss their response to recent court decisions focusing on affordable housing. According to one estimate, Princeton needs to build 1,000 new affordable units. At a recent joint meeting of the Planning Board and Princeton Council, there was much discussion about where new units might be added. In particular, Council member Jenny Crumiller seemed to argue that new units should not be added at walkable sites, but instead should be spread out further away from downtown. Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, Alternative Transportation, People, planning, Princeton, Smart Growth, Transit, Zoning | Leave a comment

West Windsor Is Making A Climate Action Plan. Princeton Should Make One Too.

Posted on October 6, 2015 by walkableprinceton
West Windsor, NJ is known for its sprawl, but also for sustainability measures such as promoting bike use. (click to expand)

Bicycles at West Windsor WaterWorks. (click to expand)

Today, Princeton is not waking up to flooded roads, downed trees, and widespread blackouts (phew!). The much-discussed ‘Hurricane Joaquin’ is somewhere far out in the Atlantic Ocean. Our compatriots in South Carolina are not so lucky. Lashed by rain last week, the state is now in a full-flung state of emergency, having sustained billions of dollars in damages. The SC weather event was “exactly the type of supercharged storm system climate scientists have been warning about for years as a likely consequence of global warming.” West Windsor has woken up to the challenge, and is developing a ‘Climate Action Plan’ to guide the municipality on a meaningful response to the danger posed by climate change. It’s time for Princeton to follow the lead of our neighbors to the south, and develop our own plan.

Continue reading →

Posted in planning, Princeton, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Transit | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Prof Donald Shoup Tells NJ To Try Something Different With Parking. Is Princeton Listening?

Posted on October 2, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Prof Donald Shoup, speaking at the Rutgers Vorhees Transportation Center 10/1/2015, ridicules arbitrary off-street parking requirements that are a standard part of municipal codes (click to expand).

Prof Donald Shoup, speaking at the Rutgers Vorhees Transportation Center 10/1/2015. (click to expand)

Professor Donald Shoup gave The Vorhees Distinguished Lecture yesterday at the  Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning in downtown New Brunswick. As a planning professor at UCLA, Shoup made a career out of studying parking policies, and wrote the famous 733-page book ‘The High Cost of Free Parking‘.  As a consequence, he is often called a ‘Parking Rock Star’, which is a ridiculous enough idea that he began his talk by making several jokes about it. Prof Shoup went on to make a compelling case that although free parking is free to a driver, it must be paid for by somebody. In practice, requiring free parking carries immense costs, in terms of both a financial burden and by contributing to a degraded built environment. He urged a different approach based on three principles:

Continue reading →

Posted in People, The Parking Question | 1 Comment

New Jersey League Of Municipalities Issues Affordable Housing Reports, But No Guidance On Unit Numbers

Posted on September 29, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Affordable housing litigation has been a regular topic in Princeton Council's closed-door sessions this year. (click to expand)

Affordable housing litigation has been a regular topic in Princeton Council’s private closed sessions this year. (click to expand)

All across New Jersey, elected officials are dealing with an urgent question: how much affordable housing should they plan for? Earlier this year, the New Jersey Supreme Court told local courts to rule on whether towns are adding their ‘fair share’ of  housing. The judgement potentially clears the way for builders to overturn zoning ordinances in towns that have not added enough homes.  Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, People, planning | 2 Comments