walkableprinceton

New Princeton Alexander Street Roundabout Is Open!

Posted on February 3, 2014 by walkableprinceton

New roundabout at Alexander Street in Princeton. (Click to expand.)

New roundabout in Princeton, looking south along Alexander Street. The WaWa and University Place are accessed via an exit at the left of the picture. (Click to expand.)

A roundabout! Does that word fill you with fear? Well, it’s time to get over it, because Princeton has a new roundabout, at the intersection of Alexander Street and University Place, near the old Dinky Station. This road is one of the busiest entry points to Princeton, so the success of the new traffic layout is essential. We went by to see how the new roundabout looks.

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Posted in Biking, Complete Streets, Traffic | Tagged Cycling, Princeton, roundabout, traffic | 4 Comments

The Forgotten Story Of Princeton’s Abandoned Attempt To Pedestrianize Palmer Square

Posted on January 31, 2014 by walkableprinceton

Crowds fill Palmer Square at Communiversity 2013. (Click to expand.)

College towns that are considered the best in the nation have pedestrianized downtown areas. Every summer, Princeton closes streets around Palmer Square for events like Communiversity and Princeton JazzFeast- events that are wildly popular, and bring thousands of people into town. Despite this, for most of the year, a huge amount of space around Palmer Square is given over to on-street parking, encouraging drivers to circle the downtown looking for a convenient park, increasing pedestrian-car conflicts and limiting space available for outdoor dining, art and street performances. This raises the question: why doesn’t Princeton pedestrianize the streets around Palmer Square permanently? And the answer is…it already happened, but Princeton failed to make it stick! Continue reading →

Posted in Complete Streets, Downtown Vibrancy, Events, People, Princeton, Smart Growth, The Parking Question, Traffic | Tagged Palmer Square, Pedestrian, planning, Princeton | 9 Comments

Lot Subdivision Part 2: The Future Of Princeton North

Posted on January 30, 2014 by walkableprinceton

Single-family homes on Ewing Street in Princeton. (Click to expand.)

Many houses in the area formally known as ‘Princeton North‘ were built in the 1950s and 1960s. Compared to homes that are built today, they might be considered quite small and basic, but when they were built they answered a need for housing for normal people (see photo above). Things in Princeton have changed radically since the 1960s.
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Posted in Affordability, Density, Princeton, Smart Growth, Zoning | Tagged Princeton, Real estate, Zoning | 3 Comments

Princeton’s Beloved, Walkable WaWa Faces Its Final Semester.

Posted on January 29, 2014 by walkableprinceton

Entrance to the famous Princeton WaWa. (click to expand.)

It’s possible- no, likely- that there is no other store in Princeton that has enabled as many car-free shopping trips as the Alexander Street WaWa. For years, the WaWa has been the primary destination for students and locals looking for hot and cold food, milk, drinks, snacks and much more. Now, with the Princeton University Lewis Center expansion project proceeding apace, the WaWa enters its final semester before it will be demolished. Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown Vibrancy, Princeton | Tagged convenience store, Princeton, Princeton University, Walkability, wawa | 2 Comments

First Look: 255 Nassau Street ‘Plan B’.

Posted on January 28, 2014 by walkableprinceton

Revised Plan for 255 Nassau Street redevelopment, obtained from Princeton Planning Board by a public records request. (Click to expand.)

Revised Plan for 255 Nassau Street redevelopment, as seen from the front. (Plans from Princeton Planning Board by a public records request- Click to expand.)

Last year, a plan to redevelop the building at 255 Nassau Street in Princeton with apartments was shot down by the Princeton Zoning Board of Adjustment. But now, a new plan is plan is on the table, and this is what it looks like! (see photo above) Continue reading →

Posted in Density, Princeton, Real estate, Smart Growth, The Parking Question, Zoning | Tagged Apartment, Princeton, walkable | 6 Comments

Princeton House Prices Up 7% in 2013. Good Or Bad News?

Posted on January 27, 2014 by walkableprinceton

How many houses are selling in Princeton and how much are they going for?

Winter is a quiet time in the real estate market and a good point to take a look at how the market is working out. There’s a sense that the Princeton property market has been picking up in the last year or two, but how much did home prices rise by last year? Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, Princeton, Real estate | Tagged Princeton, Real estate | Leave a comment

Princeton Is A Big Outlier On The ‘Car-Free College Grad Index’

Posted on January 24, 2014 by walkableprinceton

Princeton and Palo Alto stand out in a graph of car-free households vs college degree holders in the US. (Click to expand.)

Where do graduates from top-ranking colleges go to work after they finish school? New York, Boston, Washington DC and San Francisco are popular destinations. In all these places, lots of people live without cars. Is that generally true of places where college graduates live? And where does Princeton fit in? Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Density, Princeton | Tagged Princeton, the atlantic | Leave a comment

New Organic Juice Bar To Open In Princeton’s Walkable Downtown

Posted on January 23, 2014 by walkableprinceton

Site of soon-to-come “Arlee’s Raw Blends” on Nassau Street in Princeton. (click to expand.)

Downtown Princeton looks set to benefit from a new, walkable, independent small business in the coming months- and this one looks like something pretty special! Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown Vibrancy | Tagged downtown, Princeton | 3 Comments

Snow Makes A Princeton Commute By Rail Seem Much More Attractive

Posted on January 22, 2014 by walkableprinceton

Jersey traffic stuck in snow, Jan 21, 2014. (click to expand.)

Yikes! Did everybody get home OK last night? That snow (sorry- ‘polar vortex’ will not be used around here as a synonym for normal winter weather) caused total cha0s yesterday, as car commuters got stuck in miles of jams. After traveling 1.2 miles in an hour, it dawned on me that I didn’t have to do this. It was time to make the switch to rail…
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Posted in Alternative Transportation, Transit, Walking | Tagged Princeton, snow, Transit | 7 Comments

Are Princeton’s Schools ‘Full To Bursting’? What Is To Be Done?

Posted on January 21, 2014 by walkableprinceton

Princeton High School with snow and moon. (click to expand.)

Are Princeton’s schools too crowded? Some local residents are complaining that classrooms are too full, and that Princeton therefore cannot accommodate any more families with kids. Further expansion in the school system is also argued to be unaffordable because of the expense. Is there any truth to these claims?

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