More Details On Hillier’s Witherspoon Street Corridor Proposal

Posted on September 6, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Princeton's beautiful public library is a previous Studio Hillier success on Witherspoon St. (Click to expand)

Princeton’s beautiful public library is a previous Studio Hillier success on Witherspoon St. (Click to expand)

As we reported in July, the Studio Hillier architecture practice is seeking feedback on a proposal to update zoning along Witherspoon St to enhance this key Princeton corridor. Many of you will not have seen any details from Mr Hillier’s presentation about the plan, so we wanted to share some grainy photos that we were able to get. We hope that this will stimulate interest in the proposal, and encourage people to give feedback to Mr Hillier and our elected representatives. Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, Community, Complete Streets, Density, Downtown Vibrancy, People, Princeton, Real estate, Smart Growth, Zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Could Dining Replace Parking At Princeton’s Mistral?

Posted on September 5, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Mistral restaurant in downtown Princeton: a surface parking lot out front, diners squeezed in around the back. (Click to expand.)

Mistral restaurant in downtown Princeton: a surface parking lot out front, diners squeezed in around the back. (Click to expand.)

Princeton is lucky in that at least 3 really great restaurants have opened here this year: North End Bistro (by the Whole Earth Center in Jugtown), Agricola (in the former Lahiere’s space at Witherspoon and Nassau) and Mistral, on the other side of Witherspoon from the Princeton Public Library. Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown Vibrancy, Princeton, The Parking Question | Tagged , | 2 Comments

One Sure Way To Boost Walking To Work In Princeton

Posted on September 4, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Graph shows Percentage of employees commuting via various transport modes. Left- for all people working in Princeton. Right- for people who both live and work in Princeton. (Click to expand)

Graph showing percentage of employees commuting via various transport modes. Left- for all people working in Princeton. Right- for people who both live and work in Princeton. (Click to expand)

Want to know how to get more people – far more people – walking to work in Princeton? The answer is very simple, and the good news is, it doesn’t have to cost us a cent… Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Biking, Density, Princeton, Smart Growth, Traffic, Transit, Walking, Zoning | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Princeton Post Office (But For How Much Longer?)

Posted on September 4, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Princeton Post Office in Palmer Square (click to expand.)

Princeton Post Office in Palmer Square (click to expand.)

Princeton Council, led by Mayor Liz Lempert has written to local Congressman Rush Holt to express concern over USPS plans to sell the historic Princeton Post Office in Palmer Square, pictured above. USPS, faced with declining revenues, is aiming to downsize to a smaller office.  Continue reading →

Posted in Beautiful Walkable Princeton, Princeton | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

How Walkable Is Princeton Really? Assessing The Data…

Posted on September 3, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Comparing the mode of transport of work trips across the USA on average (left) versus people working in Princeton (right). (Click to expand)

Comparing the mode of transport of work trips across the USA on average (left) versus people working in Princeton (right). (Click to expand)

Compared to other places in the USA, how walkable is Princeton? We compared data on how people get to work, taking data from all across the country, and compared it to data on how people in Princeton get to work. The results tell an interesting story… Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Biking, Princeton, Transit, Walking | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Happy Labor Day! Here’s Something You Can Do For Princeton-Area Workers…

Posted on September 2, 2013 by walkableprinceton
People who work in Princeton are hard-working Americans and deserve a fair shot at living in the same town as where they work. (Click to expand.)

Hard-working people who work in Princeton deserve a fair shot at living here too. (Click to expand.)

Happy Labor Day! While many of us spend the day relaxing or sales-shopping, Labor Day originally was about celebrating organized labor. For various reasons, only about 1 in 10 American workers is now a member of a labor union. What about the rest? Are they getting a fair deal? And what could we do to help them out?

A shocking statistic about Princeton is Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, Density, Princeton, Smart Growth, Zoning | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Wayfaring Signs: A No-Brainer For Increasing Walkability

Posted on August 30, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Wayfaring signs in London are a massive help for walkers. Image from LegibleLondon. (Click to expand)

Wayfaring signs in London are a massive help for walkers. Image from Legible London. (Click to expand)

This week, Walkable Princeton is running stories from our recent overseas vacation, focusing on how other towns have found solutions to favor walkability. Previous posts in this series are here and here. Our regular local content is back after Labor Day.

Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make a big difference. A friendly smile. Holding the door open for somebody. Calling your mom. All these things have a value that far exceeds their cost. When it comes to walkability, there are many things we could do to make it easier for people to get around without using a car. Pedestrian zones, protected bike lanes, fleets of hourly car-share vehicles…all these things would be great, and maybe sometime in the future we will see them in Princeton. But in terms of ‘bang for your buck’, it’s hard to beat wayfaring signs as a way of making life easier for people who are walking around. Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Complete Streets, Walking | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Exploring Sweden’s Walkable Answer To Princeton

Posted on August 29, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Lund University. (Click to expand)

Lund University. (Click to expand)

This week, Walkable Princeton is running stories from our recent overseas vacation, focusing on how other towns have found solutions to favor walkability. Previous posts in this series are here, here and here. Our regular local content is back after Labor Day.

To say that Lund is “Sweden’s answer to Princeton” is Continue reading →

Posted in Density, Downtown Vibrancy, Princeton, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Traffic | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

No Grocery Shop Too Large For The Cargo Bike

Posted on August 28, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Cargo bike available for customer use in grocery store in Malmo's West Harbor mixed-use development. (Click to expand)

Cargo bike available for customer use in grocery store in Malmo’s West Harbor mixed-use redevelopment zone. (Click to expand)

This week, Walkable Princeton is running some stories from our recent overseas vacation. Previous posts in this series are here and here. Our regular local content is back after Labor Day.

If you want to live a ‘green’ lifestyle, or if you just like regular exercise, using your car less is an excellent idea. But we can’t walk everywhere, right? Ahat about those trips that require a car, like trips to the supermarket? For those who shop in industrial sizes and quantities, a car, maybe even a truck, is necessary. But at least one grocery store in southern Sweden is offering customer’s free use of a nifty ‘cargo bike’ (pictured above) to haul away their shopping. Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Biking | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Walkable Shopping In Brighton, England

Posted on August 27, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Brighton seafront.

Brighton seafront.

This week, Walkable Princeton is running some stories from our recent overseas vacation, about towns with walkable ideas that might be relevant to life in Princeton. Previous posts in this series are here. Our regular local content is back after Labor Day.

Think of a historic town with great independent stores and restaurants, and an extremely environmentally-conscious residents. Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Biking, Complete Streets, Density, Downtown Vibrancy, Sustainability, The Parking Question | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments