From hearing about the lives and policy recommendations from these four Portland residents, I definitely have a different opinion about what the ideal smart city recommendations would be to improve the quality of life and economic sustainability of Portland. I think I was more focused on the larger picture earlier in the semester; I was thinking more about large scale, complicated technological improvements to the city whereas the residents definitely suggested more small-scale improvements such as improvements in public transportation, flood management, and educational opportunities. This disconnect likely results from the fact that we are, as individual researchers living outside the city, dealing with a small pool of samples and have inherently different ideas about the efficiency of the city than local Portland residents do.

This disconnect further brings into light the question as to whether one can make policy or smart city recommendations to Portland while not actually living in Portland – do we understand and know enough about the way that the city ecosystem works to create thoughtful, personalized recommendations for that specific city or are we more qualified to simply talk about and create smart city recommendations for a city in general? Because of this disengagement, I do think that it is very important for us as removed participants to take into consideration more of what the residents recommend than what we ourselves believe. That being said, perhaps it takes a certain amount of distance away from the city in order to fully see its moving parts and the different aspects that can be improved. As one of my participants mentioned, it is difficult to think and move outside of the status quo – it is hard to remove yourself from the whole city and its moving parts to really think about what can be done for the city.

After speaking with these residents, the transect walk, and executing the café ethnography, I would likely say that improvements in public transportation is the most beneficial and feasible smart city solution to most Portland residents and the city as a whole because it is very simple, and therefore easily executed, and would benefit the most people. If Portland could develop a transportation app for mobile devices and computers, residents and would be more likely to use and rely the public transportation system because they would be more educated about what it has to offer and the types of delays that would occur while they are trying to use it – in turn improving their quality of life. Moreover, a transportation app would help the city in terms of being more ecofriendly and economic stability because more residents would choose to use the bus as opposed to drive their own cars around.

1.  Ayriel – Woman, 24, [email protected]

• Worked at a corner convenience store – “School is not a priority”
• She focused more on the social aspects of the city when drawing her mental map – food, bars, work etc.
• Talked a little about the gentrification of Munjoy Hill and how it was affecting the locals – not necessarily as a good or bad thing, just different than what she remembers from before.
• She had lived in Portland for two years – was originally from Boston but came to Portland when she was 22.
• She gave 2 policy recommendations – firstly, she said that it would be incredibly helpful if there was a phone application that told residents transport schedules/delays and social events that were going on in the city. The second recommendation was that there should be a ‘buffer zone’ for Planned Parenthood – she mentioned that there were religions groups protesting daily outside the clinic and that it made accessing the location and services, and feeling good about accessing the services, really difficult.

2. Woman, 22, from Canada but moved to Portland 2 years ago after living in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and California throughout her life.

• Worked in a Laundromat
• She said that she enjoyed South Portland, or “SoPo”, but that the local changes in building and gentrification were making her a little sad. She mentioned that one of her favorite buildings had just been demolished and turned into a parking lot.
• She attended Southern Maine Community College while working at the Laundromat
• Her recommendation for Portland was that there needed to be better help for the homeless and more education for Portland’s youth through public campaigns and rallies.

3. Woman, 50 years old, very wise

• Has worked at Portland Whole Foods and Lived in Portland since 1995, previously lived all over the east coast – mentioned New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York City.
• When I asked her about her opinion of living in Portland, she told me that she and her husband, along with two children, one with autism and one with Asperger’s syndrome, actively moved around and researched the best places to live on the east coast. They decided Portland because of the small size, Portland’s great schooling system and the city’s very local and organic way of life.
• She complained about a lot of things – but she was just this type of lady – specifically, that there was incredibly bad high speed interned. She also mentioned that the perception of what the city of Portland does for their residents is not up to par – that she knows and understands that Portland does SO much for their residents in terms of quality of life and schooling, but that residents need to complain less and to be more appreciative of what the city does for them. She said that she had hoped that people in the city would stop just following the status quo – that they need to break out from just going through the motions of living and be more appreciated (I think this may have been because she has been through a lot and was pretty stressed out about her children). She said that she thinks the city would benefit from a more educational campaign that enlightened Portland’s residents about what the city offers and the services that they may not know about already.
• She said that her husband was a musician and that they were mostly self-sustaining and local in terms of what they eat and do at home. I asked her if she liked to go to restaurants or any specific shops and she said that they did not really go out much because money was tight. She also said that she has been a florist all her life, that she had started when she was a teenager, and that Whole Foods knew how good she was and they tried to recruit her to work for them a long time before the family moved to Portland. She said that she finally caved and started working for them after finishing two years of homeschooling her kids in the 90s. Now they are both in main stream schools in Portland and doing really well. We talked about boarding schools because she was asking me about my life and she said that her husband and his family came from a lot of money and that he went to boarding school and Boston College and that their family owns a lot of vacation homes at Cape Elizabeth, ME but that they did not own one.
• She was an incredibly interesting woman.

4. Bernie, male, 21

• Commutes to Portland from Brunswick, has lived in Brunswick since 2011 but has worked in Portland since May 2014
• Originally from Florida
• Recommendations: Bernie loved the hills in Portland – he said that he would love to see more hills and differences in heights of the buildings in Portland to add more of a city feel.  He also suggested more parking and better flood management.  I assume he recommended improvements in parking and flood management because he commutes to Portland for work, as opposed to living in the city full time.

 

Speckled Ax

1:13pm:

• Everyone seems to be working really hard – there are some conversations going on but it is really hard to tell what people are saying
• The room sort of smells like coffee – but it is a very acidic non-coffee smell.
• When I asked them for a large coffee they asked me whether I had a preference as to which coffee I wanted. Obviously I had no idea. They chose well.
• Beatles are playing in the background
• A really stylish family just walked in and was semi irritated that there was no available table to sit at while they enjoyed their iced coffees.
• A creepy guy just walked in with red Red Sox sweatpants
• Constant sounds of typing.

 

1:23 pm:

• A whole load of people just walked in and met up with friends that were already sitting inside
• It just got a lot louder in here and everyone else is kind of annoyed that they are being disturbed
• I do not think these guys are from Portland
  • They are part of a show – something memoirs.
• These people take their jobs very seriously
• There is a mix of people that are clearly just here for the day to do work and groups of people that are in the middle of doing things and are just swinging by for coffee.
• There is an adorable older couple sitting across from me holding hands from across the table and just watching everything that is going on around them while giggling to each other about their own conversation. They are drinking lattes – old people always drink lattes!

1:33 pm:

• There is a really long line but somehow the café is still relatively calm and quiet
• I am beginning to think that I have already drank too much coffee and I have only been here for 20 minutes
• It is really sunny outside
• There is a ton of clanking and bashing going on from behind the counter
• A band of teenagers just walked in wearing beanies and skinny jeans
  • I bet they are all art students
  • I think they are all judging me for buying and drinking out of a plastic Poland springs water bottle – I am killing the planet obviously.
• One of the employees dropped something on the floor – this is the second time he has done this in the past twenty minutes.

1:43 pm:

• I definitely have drunk way too much coffee.
• A lady just walked in and sat down without buying a drink – she must be meeting someone.
• Everyone’s shoes are making very squeaky sounds as they walk on the hard wood flooring
• There is a dude behind the counter with longer hair than me and it looks awesome.
• My legs have gone numb from sitting in the same place for half an hour
• The music has changed to classic rock and the baristas are having a very vibrant conversation about scheduling hours for the following week.

 

1:53 pm:

• The same couple as before that were drinking lattes and holding hands are now hotly debating something and using huge hand gestures.
• The other lady still has not ordered a drink and is just sitting there on her phone. Unless she has the wifi password from a previous visit, she must just be taking repeated selfies.
• Various sounds of coffee machines on repeat in the background
• Some girl doing work in the corner booth starts complaining about being a first year teacher.
• One of the baristas is talking about what he did on Friday night.
• There are loads of cars parked in the street outside – it is a busy day.

 

2:03 pm:

• There is a small line in the shop and some people have left from before and their seats are immediately filled with new customers.
• Everyone seems to be ordering cappuccinos – I wonder if the cappuccinos here are amazing….
• So many hipsters – ordering Ethiopian coffee…
  • There are a lot of nose rings.
• I feel like I am in a city – I did not feel like it before but I definitely do now. Why do hipsters do this to me?

 

2:13 pm:

• A girl literally walked in a saw that there were no seats available and walked straight back out again haha
• It seems quieter in here now that it was an hour ago – more people though
• There is a man drawing pictures on graph paper next to me – when the barista brought him his drink he refereed to her by name which makes me think that he comes here frequently
• That lady on her phone without any wifi still has not bought a coffee which just makes me think that she just does not want to be outside in the cold or wants to nap on the Speckled Ax’s wooden tables.
• There is a new couple sitting in the same seats as where the older couple were sitting earlier – this couple are having a pretty vibrant conversation but their faces are like six inches away from each other. She is leaning over the entire table and is practically on his side of the table and he leans in too. So adorable. They are probably late thirties.
• I cannot tell if anyone has realized that I am just watching them all and have been for the past hour…..

2:23 pm:

• Someone left the door open when they went outside and now it is freezing in here
• We can hear the sounds from outside now – lots of cars and sounds of wind.
• A guy who was sitting down before we even arrived just got up and left
• Another creepy guy with his hood up and huge headphones on sat down immediately in his place
• This chick on her phone is still on her phone and still has not ordered anything to drink. I can see a dunkin doughnuts cup in her purse – what is going on?
• The room smells a little like pizza now that the door is open.

 

2:33 pm:

• A new younger couple sad down in the old and older couple’s table. They are definitely students and are obsessed with each other. It is adorable. I will now be referring to that table as the love nest.
• The room now smells like cigarettes because the door is still open. Thank god the owner just closed it! Twas getting very cold in here.
• The love nest is getting rowdy.
• Lady on her phone still has not looked up apart from a barista asked her if she had ordered a coffee he was meant to deliver to a different customer. She said no.
• The music is a little louder than before.
• The guy sitting next to me is still drawing on graph paper.

2:43 pm:

• Say you love me by Jessie ware is the best song ever
• The café seems relatively quiet now
• The lovers nest is now empty
• The weird lady is still on her phone doing nothing
• I am seriously starting to worry as to whether anyone in here knows that there are three students stalking them for two and a half hours this afternoon

 

2:53 pm:

• A new pair of people walked in and walked straight back out again because the seating that was available clearly was not good enough for them
• The weird lady is still on her cell phone and has only looked up once in the past hour
• The music is a little more mellow than it was earlier
• Everyone seems to be busy doing work
• A lady just walked in with a push chair and a child who seems like they are on the verge of tears… maybe they do not dig the music.
• A man is still drawing maps on graph paper in the booth next to me
• The baby is now crying and she is walking him outside of the café

3:03 pm:

• The weird lady is still here and still has not ordered anything – I cant tell if she was napping or if she is still waiting for someone
  • OMG she just got up – and she sat down again. Perhaps she was just stretching.
• There are really loud banging noises coming from behind the counter again
• The café is mostly filled with individuals doing work – there is only one pair of people, likely a couple, sitting and actually talking to each other
• One of my favorite songs just came on the radio – Semi-Charmed Kind of Life J

 

3:13 pm:

• The people working behind the counter are having a very vivacious conversation about something – lots of laughs
• The weird lady is still sitting and on her phone – she just left. After sitting here for two hours and not ordering anything.
• The man next to me is still drawing on graphing paper
• This playlist is killing it – they are now playing Jumper by third eye blind. So angsty.
• The baristas are talking about how expensive bowing shoes are
• I just realized that they only have one bathroom which kind of freaks me out
• I really like the lighting in the room – the ambiance is stellar.
• The baristas are now talking about how bowling balls fit on your fingers with one customer sitting at the bar. It is a little strange. Now talking about local candlepin bowling leagues.
• The map man next to me finally finishes his definitely cold cappuccino after an hour and a half.
• I start to ponder what would happen if we all get Ebola?
• Some hipster just walked in with a skateboard and skinny jeans.

 

3:23 pm:

• Two girls just walked in – they are in their mid twenties and are very loud/happy
• A couple just left the booth at the end
• Baristas are flirting with the two girls that walked in
  • Maybe they already know each other