Caitlin (green)
Age: 39
Neighborhood: Parkside
“I generally choose my living location based on walking proximity to my vocation (job or school). So, I got my job first and then looked for apartments nearby (but not too nearby)”
Occupation: Urban Designer, City of Portland, Maine
Portland Resident: since 2013 – Caitlin moved to Portland from Boston after completing graduate school in City Planning and getting a job with the City of Portland Planning Department
What do you like about Portland? Varied and interesting, local businesses, interesting and old architecture, access to natural environments
How much walking each day? At least an hour a day
Typical Destinations: Work, groceries, recreation/exercise, gym, museum/gallery, shopping/errands, movies, eating out, meet up with friends for drink/kombucha, doctors
Challenges: Weather, slippery sidewalks, sometimes not enough green/landscape
Car-free: for 22 years
“I grew up in a typical suburban environment where we had to drive to get to most everything – school, stores, work, recreation/activities. At one point we owned 4 cars for a 4-person household. That is all I knew until I went to college where I was car-free and walking most everywhere. It was very freeing and I discovered I liked the space between classes and appointments to transition my body and mind.”
Do you enjoy being car-free?
“Yes – I enjoy walking to use my body and enjoy the fact that I am able bodied and capable. I enjoy the pace and feeling of safety by walking. I feel in control of my body, time, and direction. I also prefer the freedom of not having to worry about parking a car, maintaining a car, paying for a car. I also get anxiety about driving and the high level of attention and alert you have to be in.”
How does being a pedestrian influence your experience of Portland?
“It definitely influences my schedule and how much time it takes to get somewhere or do things. It influences how I think about tasks and destinations – I often try to group things together if I know I’m going to be in a particular location I think about other things nearby or on the way that I want or need to do, or other people who are nearby who might want to meet up. There is a certain level of observation and enjoyment of your environment that you get from the pace of walking and being able to look around without constantly worrying about traffic. There is much to see in Portland – especially architecture and people watching. Primarily being a pedestrian gives you a sense of the geography in terms of how long it takes to get somewhere and it influences when or where I go places. When you are car-free, you also think more about weather and what level of discomfort you are willing to put up with. You think about the fastest or most direct route to get somewhere. You think about topography and whether you will have to schlepp groceries uphill, how much you can carry at a time.”
