Should Princeton Save Or Tear Down This Historic Home?

Posted on February 17, 2015 by walkableprinceton
31-33 Lytle Street Princeton, which faces the wrecking ball. (click to expand)

31-33 Lytle Street Princeton, which faces the wrecking ball. (click to expand)

It has period features, elegant styling, and is a short walk to Palmer Square, with all the attractions of downtown Princeton. This historic home, next to a park, has housed generations of Princeton residents in its cozy interior. It may need some TLC, but for the right buyer, this is an opportunity to be part of one of Princeton’s most famed neighborhoods. Does this sound like the kind of place where you’d like to live? Then you might be surprised to learn that the town of Princeton is buying the property at 31-33 Lytle Street…to tear it down! Continue reading →

Posted in Princeton, Real estate | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Would You Let Your Kids Walk One Mile By Themselves In Princeton?

Posted on February 12, 2015 by walkableprinceton
walking

Can kids walk by themselves in a busy town? Maryland authorities say ‘no’.  (click to expand)

How would you feel about letting your children walk a mile around Princeton by themselves? Do you think it’s the sort of thing that would warrant Child Protective Services coming and threatening to take your kids? Continue reading →

Posted in Complete Streets, Walking | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Can A Restaurant Near Princeton Exist Without A Parking Lot?

Posted on February 10, 2015 by walkableprinceton
sweetgrass

Sweetgrass restaurant in Hopewell Borough. (click to expand)

If you’re ever in Hopewell Borough, a few miles outside of Princeton, you might happen upon this little neighborhood gem- Sweetgrass Restaurant, which opened last year at 9 East Broad Street. Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown Vibrancy, Local, Placemaking, The Parking Question | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Princeton Has Ten ‘Functionally Obsolete’ or ‘Structurally Deficient’ Bridges

Posted on February 5, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Bridge

Princeton Pike Bridge over Stony Brook is considered ‘functionally obsolete’. Ten bridges in Princeton are either functionally obsolete or ‘structurally deficient’. (click to expand.)

The dreadful state of New Jersey’s infrastructure was brought into renewed focus in January, when the NJ Department of Transportation issued an emergency close order on a road bridge on Amwell Road in Franklin Township. The bridge, which is 12 miles north of Princeton, was on a list of over 500 known ‘functionally obsolete’ or ‘structurally deficient’ bridges in New Jersey. Inspectors found that part of the bridge was physically buckling as trucks drove over it. How many deficient bridges are there in Princeton? Continue reading →

Posted in Princeton, Traffic | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Franklin Park Named On List Of “Most Affordable NJ Towns”

Posted on February 2, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Millkeepers House, Frankin Township. (click to expand).

Bridgetender’s Station, Blackwells Mills, Frankin Township. (click to expand).

Last week NJ.com published a list of ‘most affordable’ places to live in New Jersey. The list included 10 towns that had the most affordable property, taking into account mortgage payments and property taxes as a proportion of household income. Only one town within an hour of Princeton made the list, and that town is…Franklin Park, in Somerset County. Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, Local, Sustainability, Traffic | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Princeton U. Professor Alan Krueger Publishes Paper On Uber

Posted on January 29, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Waiting taxis at the rank outside Princeton University. Local cab drivers are complaining about competition from Uber. (click to expand.)

Waiting taxis at the rank outside Princeton University. Local cab drivers are complaining about competition from Uber. (click to expand.)

Recently, local cab operators demanded that Princeton Council shut down Uber, a ridesourcing service that competes with traditional taxis. Now, Princeton University economics Professor Alan Krueger has co-authored a paper examining who is driving for Uber, and how much money they make. The study is based on a survey of 601 Uber drivers, and finds that they are somewhat younger, and more likely to be female or holding a college degree than drivers of traditional taxicabs. In fact, about half of Uber drivers hold a college degree or higher. Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, People | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

“Jammin’ Crepes” in Princeton Offers Lessons In Low-Tech Sustainability

Posted on January 27, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Jammin' Crepes on Nassau Street in Princeton. (click to expand.)

Jammin’ Crepes on Nassau Street in Princeton. (click to expand.)

Last year, “Jammin’  Crepes” opened a much-anticipated bricks-and-mortar store on Nassau Street in Princeton (previously they had operated from a stall at the Thursday Farmer’s Market). The new store offers several lessons in how to operate a sustainable enterprise in 2015. Some of the effort on sustainability is obvious to the customer. Other aspects of its light environmental footprint are less obvious, but every bit as important for helping to reduce the impact of unsustainable practices that became commonplace in the 20th century. Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown Vibrancy, Princeton, Sustainability | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

New Jersey Hit ‘Peak Car’ In 2007. But What Does The Future Hold?

Posted on January 21, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Trend in car use in seven states, including New Jersey. (click to expand).

Trend in car use in seven states, including New Jersey, 1980-2013. (click to expand). Via Wonkblog.

‘Peak car‘ is the phrase that describes the remarkable turnaround in car use in America. Although the use of automobiles traditionally grew year after year, recently the trend has flipped, and vehicle-miles-traveled is going down. This trend also includes New Jersey, which saw maximum car use in 2007. Continue reading →

Posted in Princeton, Traffic | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A Walkable Community At Hopewell’s Scotch Road Offers Many Advantages

Posted on January 20, 2015 by walkableprinceton
DSC06531

A mixed-use ‘village’ off Scotch Road (pictured) is the subject of a current proposal before Hopewell Township’s Planning Board. (click to expand.)

In December, the Planning Board of Hopewell Township put off making a decision about a proposed amendment to the community Masterplan that would permit extensive development of the area on either side of Scotch Road, between I-95 and CR-546. The amendment (read it here) envisages new commercial and residential development, potentially including up to 2,500 homes, organized in the style of a walkable ‘village’. Although many local people are not be impressed at the thought of more development, the Scotch Road proposal offers several significant advantages.

Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, Alternative Transportation, Density, Downtown Vibrancy, Local, planning, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Traffic | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

Review And ‘How-To’ Of The New ‘Bikeshare’ At Princeton Station

Posted on January 11, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Bikeshare at Princeton rail station, which launched last November. (click to expand.)

Bikeshare at Princeton rail station, which launched last November. (click to expand.)

Around Thanksgiving last year, a new ‘bikeshare’ program was launched at the new Princeton rail station. The bikeshare is an initiative of Princeton University, and was added as part of its ‘Arts and Transit’ project. Bikeshare programs now exist in dozens of US towns and cities, perhaps most famously with the ‘Citibike‘ blue bike program in New York. These systems differ from traditional bike rental, in that the bikes are usually rented on an hourly basis. These programs allow occasional users to hop on a bike quickly, providing an extra non-car transportation option. We were excited to see the new bikeshare program launch, so we went down in the depths of winter to see how well it works.

Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Biking, Princeton | 2 Comments