Rerouting the flow of commerce between Baldwin and Princeton

This blog often focuses on Baldwin's identity as an individual exurb and its relationship with the Twin Cities or other exurbs. But one of Baldwins greatest assets, and sometimes challenges, is quite literally attached to it.

Princeton and Baldwin border each other intimately. To someone who has never looked at an aerial map of the area, it is practically impossible to tell from ground level where Baldwin ends and Princeton begins.

It would be easy to think that the rural area is dependent on the more developed area -- that Baldwin needs Princeton.

To an extent this is true -- the grocery store is in Princeton, the diner, the banks and doctors -- but this does not make Baldwin dependent on Princeton. Instead it make Princeton dependent on the commerce of Baldwin's residents.

When you look at population size, it becomes clear just how much Princeton may rely on Baldwin. In 2009 Baldwin's residents totaled 6,656, while the city of Princeton had 4,518 residents and Princeton Township's residents added up to 2,231.

In other words, Baldwin Township is only slightly smaller than the city of Princeton and Princeton Township combined, yet most of the commerce that goes on between the two entities ends up in Princeton where there is a downtown, parks and schools.

As Baldwin looks forward and begins to think about what kind of new commercial development it would like to have, it is important to think about what will draw in not just its own residents, but also those in Princeton and Princeton Township. Baldwin could take a mostly one-way relationship and create a symbiosis with Princeton by drawing people out of town.

The big question is, of course, for what? Baldwin doesn't want to copy what already exists. Instead it must figure out what isn't here that residents have always wanted.

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