Postcard From Walkable [Old] York!

Posted on August 26, 2013 by walkableprinceton
History is everywhere in York, England. (Click to expand.)

History is everywhere in York, England. (Click to expand.)

Summer vacations can be a great opportunity to check out some different places and see how they compare to our home town, Princeton. While attending a friend’s wedding in York, England, the sense of history was everywhere. Founded in AD 71 by the Romans, York was the capital of Viking England, a key battle site during the English Civil War in the 17th century and was even bombed by the Luftwaffe during the Blitz.

Like Princeton, York is also Continue reading →

Posted in Density, Downtown Vibrancy, Smart Growth, The Parking Question, Zoning | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Who Is Redevelopment For?

Posted on August 9, 2013 by walkableprinceton
A newcomer to Camden, NJ asks the question: who is redevelopment for? (via thenextcity.org, Click to expand.)

A newcomer to Camden, NJ asks the question: who is redevelopment for? (Todd Mecklem, via thenextcity.org, Click to expand.)

Stephen Danley at nextcity.org makes a resonant point about the risk that redevelopment can pass local residents by. In his case, he wants to talk about….Camden. Have you ever spent any time in Camden? Are you familiar with its attractive riverfront location? Its affordable housing? Or do you think of it as: Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Local | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is That A Good Deal? ‘Fabulous-Newly Renovated’

Posted on August 8, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Murray Place apartment viewed from front. (Click to expand.)

Murray Place apartment viewed from front. (Click to expand.)

As part of an occasional series where we cast an eye over the Princeton, NJ rental and real estate market, we invite you to comment on a local listing that we have pulled more or less at random off Craigslist. Previous entries are here and here. Continue reading →

Posted in Good Deal? | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Language Clustering In Princeton And The Townships

Posted on August 7, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Newly-released data from the US Census Bureau reveals the distribution of speakers of different languages throughout the USA (here showing just the immediate Princeton area) (Click to expand.)

Spanish and Chinese are the most commonly-spoken non-English languages in the Princeton areas, but speakers of these languages seem to cluster in different areas (Click to expand.)

Freshly-released data from the 2011 American Community Survey shows us where speakers of different languages speak throughout the USA. Over 20% of US residents speak a language other than English at home, and thanks to a handy online mapping tool, we can now see exactly where they live! Continue reading →

Posted in Local, Princeton | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Has Sprawl Made Princeton ‘Fragile’?

Posted on August 6, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Princeton's precarious electrical infrastructure can be expected to fail catastrophically during the next big storm. (Click to expand)

Princeton’s precarious electrical infrastructure can be expected to fail catastrophically during the next big storm. (Click to expand)

Note: This article is cross-posted at Strong Towns Network.

Chuck Marohn at Strong Towns recently posted an article titled ‘Detroit: An American Autopsy‘, inspired by the book of the same name by Charles LeDuff. Here is the gist of Chuck’s piece:

“I’ve long held that Detroit is not some one off place that we can discount but that it actually represents the logical outcome of the Suburban Experiment..” Continue reading →

Posted in Density, Downtown Vibrancy, Princeton, Smart Growth, Sustainability, The Parking Question, Zoning | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

TCNJ ‘Campus Town’ Looks Set To Be A Model of ‘Smart Growth’

Posted on August 5, 2013 by walkableprinceton
The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) campus in Ewing, NJ. (Click to expand.)

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) campus in Ewing, NJ. (Click to expand.)

Princeton University is planning to close its much-loved [and affordable!] Butler Apartments off South Harrison Road next summer. Despite complaints from graduate students about the limited rental options in Princeton, there are currently no plans to redevelop the site. In June, we called for Princeton U. to ‘think big’ at Butler, by providing a higher-density, mixed-use center for accommodating graduate students, post-docs and moderate-income families, with shops and amenities directly on-site. Continue reading →

Posted in Density, Downtown Vibrancy, Local, Smart Growth, Zoning | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

How Walkable Boulder, CO Protected Its Undeveloped Areas

Posted on August 2, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Panoramic view of Boulder Co. Image via www.downtownboulder.com (Click to expand)

Panoramic view of Boulder, CO– which emerged joint-top of our recent survey of ‘greatest college towns’. Image via www.downtownboulder.com (Click to expand)

When we recently compiled a list of the Best College Towns, based on 10 other lists, the towns that came out tops were Charlottesville, VA and Boulder, CO. Looking at Boulder, what does it have that makes it such a great place to live? Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Density, Downtown Vibrancy, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Trails, Transit, Walking, Zoning | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Dorothea’s House – John Street and Green Street, Princeton

Posted on August 1, 2013 by walkableprinceton
Dorothea's House, Princeton. (Click image to expand.)

Dorothea’s House, Princeton. (Click image to expand.)

This post is part of a series where we celebrate the many beautiful and characterful sights of Princeton, NJ. You can find previous entries in this series here and here or by searching the blog for ‘beautiful walkable Princeton’. Continue reading →

Posted in Beautiful Walkable Princeton | Tagged | 1 Comment

More Details About 255 Nassau Street Development

Posted on July 31, 2013 by walkableprinceton
A rendering of the proposed redevelopment of the 255 Nassau site. (Image courtesy of

A rendering of the proposed redevelopment of the 255 Nassau site. (Image courtesy of ROI Renovations and Development) (Click to expand.)

We recently learned that a new plan had been developed for the 255 Nassau St site, currently home to a Crossfit gym. A rendering of the proposal has now been released (see image above). Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown Vibrancy, Princeton, Smart Growth, Zoning | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Making Cycling Attractive To The Rest Of Us In Princeton

Posted on July 30, 2013 by walkableprinceton
The majority of potential cyclists are not being served by on-street cycle infrastructure. (Click to expand.)

Research indicates that potential cyclists can be classified into one of four main ‘tribes’. The majority are not being served by existing on-street cycle infrastructure. (Click to expand.)

Cycling as a means of transportation is still very much a niche activity in Princeton. Of the ~30,000 people who work in Princeton, just 1.8% use cycling as their primary mode of commute. Why is this? Some possible explanations: Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Biking, Complete Streets, Princeton | Tagged , , | 6 Comments