By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — The affluence of central New Jersey has not translated into civic engagement among its residents, in part because of its pattern of sprawling development, according to a presentation to the West Windsor Township Council at its meeting Tuesday night.
Nancy Kieling, president of the Princeton Area Community Foundation, cited data from a study conducted in the spring of 2007 that canvassed residents of Mercer County, Cranbury, Plainsboro, South Brunswick, Montgomery, Rocky Hill and part of Franklin Township.
It found that although people in those central New Jersey towns are better educated, more ethnically and racially diverse, and have higher incomes — key indicators of community involvement — than national averages, they are no more likely to be involved in their communities than their national counterparts, Ms. Kieling said.
Levels of volunteerism and civic engagement were found to be “average to low,” despite statistics that also said residents have smaller commutes and shorter workweeks than the national average.
Without public space that encourages informal socializing, or bumping into people as might happen in a small town, people cannot network with each other, she said.
”Strip malls don’t make the same kind of connecting that town centers do,” she said.
Informal interactions increase “social capital,” a measure of interpersonal networks between people. When it’s high, she said, communities are safer, schools are better, the economy is better, and people are healthier.
The issue of social capital in West Windsor is “critical,” Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said. It is slowly building, with the farmers’ market, bicycle friendly paths and Community Park, where more and more people are gathering with their children in the afternoons, he said.
However, he said, “We need some sort of identity for the whole town. The only thing missing for West Windsor is a town center.”
Though Ms. Kieling said she wasn’t presenting the information to take a stand on the township’s redevelopment project, she said, “I think the notion of social capital is core to redevelopment,” she said.
Ms. Kieling, who said she is a lifelong resident of Mercer County, said communities need a central focus point for people to gather around, like the waterfront in many cities.
”We don’t have a river, but we do have a train station,” she said.
Council member Heidi Kleinman said the climate in New Jersey means there needs indoor gathering places as well as outdoor spaces to promote community interaction.
”Parks and playgrounds do not solve the issue 12 months a year,” she said.
Council President Charles Morgan, who said he was surprised by some findings of the survey, agreed on the importance of “creating spaces that people come into easily and naturally.”
The foundation will hold a forum to discuss these issues from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at the conference center at Mercer County Community College. The complete study is posted at: www.bettertogethercnj.org.

