The grassroots nonpartisan Council on Princeton Future met twice this fall at the Princeton Public Library to engage community participation in making plans for the region, and the meetings have yielded suggestions to solve several issues.
Both meetings were led by Kevin Wilkes, AIA, and president of Princeton Future. Several members from government and other organizations were available to answer questions and to offer recommendations.
At the first meeting on Nov. 21, participants discussed community housing, transportation and mobility, and downtown vibrancy. These individuals also participated in a survey where they gave feedback on areas in town that they liked the most and those they liked the least. Wilkes reported the results of these activities at the Dec. 5 meeting.
Princeton Future Fall '15 Meetings from Michelle Dryden on Vimeo.
Among recommendations and feedback, were to reduce traffic in town. This has been a longstanding issue and as a result, Peter Kramer and company have developed the Princeton Ride Share app to encourage carpooling in the Princeton area.
Princeton Future also suggested other goals such as engaging Princeton University plans to expand and grow. Wilkes reported that there are suggestions for reinforcing the positive qualities for places where people usually gather in town. He also mentioned the concerns about first floor spaces in community housing. Also, there were suggestions for improving the health and nutrition of Princeton residents, said Wilkes.
According to Wilkes, the council is actively working to produce desired results for the community.