¶ … Urbanism Bristol, Rhode Island

On its website, Bristol describes itself as a town, and these appear to be a fair characterization. What could be termed a town center, the waterfront district is clustered in an area proximal to Bristol Harbor to the West. The surrounding areas to the north, south, and east appear to be less rigidly formed, with some apparent sprawl. Three large and distinct historic districts are located in the outskirts of the town, and two smaller historic districts are adjacent to the waterfront historic district. It is as though there were six town centers, rather than one. The overall effect is a fragmented township with limited commerce and constrained interactions among and across these distinct areas. One could imagine that the town council is populated by representatives of each of these areas, and that common ground would be difficult to identify. There are a number of decommissioned schools in the town center, potentially indicating aged buildings and an aging population. Sixteen planning areas correspond roughly to the historic districts and the terrain. The growth plan map indicates that the town council is concerned with maintaining agricultural and open areas, and is working to protect historic and residential areas from incursion by commercial and industrial interests. That the golf course may be converted to industrial property indicates some recognition of a need to increase the business base in the community.

The significant space that characterizes Bristol favorably is the 1810 Federal-style mansion known as the Linden Place. Located in Bristol's historic waterfront district, this crown jewel of local architecture was built by a slave trader named George DeWolf. The descendents of DeWolf lived in the house for 177 years. A number of interesting people have resided in the house, including Colonel Samuel Colt, who founded Industrial Trust Co., which became...

The mansion contains an historic ballroom, French sculpture, and is surrounded by gardens -- all of which helps explain why the house was featured in the film The Great Gatsby. Linden Place represents the best of Bristol's architectural history, and some of its more interesting cultural history.
Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton describes itself as a township on its website. The town's historic routes can be traced to the establishment of a tavern on the Kings Road that was frequented by colonial post riders. In the 1690s, six Quaker families settled in Stony Brook, which was fronted by the Kings Road. Growing stage traffic brought more development that was referred to as Princeton and which eclipsed the Stony Brook settlement. In 1756, the College of New Jersey moved from Newark and erected Nassau Hall. The prominence that Princeton gained from the establishment of the university at the site has endured. Some disagreements about municipalities after the Revolutionary War resulted in the development of a separate borough, which remains today, although it is completely surrounded by and independent of the township of Princeton.

The Kings Road, now referred to as U.S. Highway Route 206, dissects the township of Princeton. Otherwise, no major arteries directly connect to the township. Princeton does have access to U.S. Highway Route 1, the Garden State Parkway, and the New Jersey Turnpike. Direct rail services to New York and Philadelphia are provided by Amtrak and the New Jersey Transit. The community is situated in a semi-wooded area -- much of which is preserved open space -- that includes diverse suburban housing, a portion of which is a recognized affordable housing program. There is one shopping center, several smaller shopping areas, and various research and services offices.

The significant space that characterizes Princeton is…