Who We Are

‘Walkable Princeton’ was founded in 2013 to raise awareness of issues relating to zoning and the built environment in Princeton, NJ. We advocate a positive vision for Princeton’s future, taking full advantage of Smart Growth principles adapted to the local area, with the goal of reducing traffic, enhancing the tax base, preserving open space, encouraging sustainable living and enhancing a vibrant Princeton downtown. We are an independent group, unaffiliated with the municipality of Princeton, Princeton University, or any developer, political party or union. We have no income or paid members of staff; everyone who contributes does so on a voluntary basis. For media inquiries, please contact us at: walkableprinceton@gmail.com.

David Keddie lives with Christina, his wife, and their three children, Joshua, Sophia, and Alexa, in the heart of Princeton. David and Christina met as students at the university and went on to settle and raise their kids in town. He works as a chaplain with the Princeton Christian Fellowship, ministering to both undergraduate and graduate students at the university. It was in seeing the housing troubles faced by graduate students, and in his own difficulty in finding walkable, affordable housing in which to raise a family, that David decided to found Walkable Princeton as an advocacy group to promote zoning reform to work towards a more inclusive Princeton.

Sam Bunting lives in Princeton with his wife and three children and works at Rutgers University. After experiencing difficulties finding a place to live in several communities during his training, he came to recognize how access to reasonably-priced, quality housing is essential for people and the economy to thrive. He is a supporter of improved facilities for walking, cycling and transit use, and the national YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) movement.

Contact us at walkableprinceton@gmail.com, or use our ‘contact form‘ (we always try to get back to people the same day). We are also on Facebook, and Twitter. Occasionally, we host meetups with the team in the Princeton area.

Our logo incorporates two iconic buildings that demonstrate the best features of traditional, mixed-use development in Princeton. The logo shows (left) the First National Bank Building, built in 1903, and (right) Lower Pyne, built in 1896. These buildings stand at the junction of Witherspoon Street and Nassau Street, opposite Princeton University’s famed Nassau Hall, and in the heart of downtown Princeton, NJ. Both the First National Bank Building and Lower Pyne were built to allow a mixture of uses, with commercial activity on the lower levels and residential apartments above. This kind of compact, mixed-use development makes efficient use of land, enabling people to live near where they work, shop and play, and makes walking and cycling the easiest way to get around.

These historic buildings demonstrate that mid-rise buildings are part of our architectural heritage and can beautify and enhance Princeton in the future too. By embracing a moderate level of density around our downtown, we return to the best of Princeton’s historic layout and enable a vibrant downtown without our present overwhelming dependency on cars and traffic.

Walkable Princeton is open to everyone as a forum for discussion and sharing of ideas. We are wholly inclusive and do not discriminate against anyone regardless of opinion, origin, politics or personal background. A growing community, Walkable Princeton has been ‘liked’ by more than 1,500 people on our Facebook page. Our Facebook community is a diverse group, the majority of whom are Princeton residents, and almost all of whom live in the Princeton region.