Planning the Campus

I studied with interest the recent campus-plan supplement. From the point of view of the University, the development of the land beyond Lake Carnegie seems very sensible. I missed, however, any nod to the regional context. For instance, how much will the urbanization of this strip diminish the open space resources of the Route 1 corridor? It will certainly have the effect of fusing the University firmly into the enveloping urban mass. I would like to see this impact discussed.

I have often wondered whether Princeton has ever made an attempt to bring its prestige and expertise to bear on larger planning issues in its part of New Jersey. Could its influence in any way have mitigated the unimaginative, auto-centric, and indeed suffocatingly boring development style that was applied as this former semi-rural gap in the Northeastern urban corridor was filled? Could Princeton have catalyzed a movement to maintain something of a greenbelt here? I would love to hear more about any thinking along these lines that may have occurred.