The Portland Porch
Come look at Portland with me. Maps, local questions, useful resources, and investigations, with room for whatever catches my attention next.
On the Porch
Kaitlin Quinn · Portland, Oregon
I see something missing.
I start building.
Hi, I’m Kaitlin.
I follow questions into maps, tools, research, gatherings, and things I want to exist. This is where I keep what I’m making, thinking about, and listening to.
More about meMaking & following
What I’m working on
A few places my questions have taken me. The smaller projects live with the work they’re part of.
Groundtruth 911
My independent public-safety work: investigating how systems operate and building tools people can use.
The tools
- Validation Workbench NG9-1-1 GIS validation
- Schema Bridge Free public beta
The Aggregation Point
A public place for NG9-1-1 practitioners to compare notes, ask specific questions, and share useful work.
Found Hanging
A living map and research record of reported cases of Black people found hanging in the United States.
On my mind
Recent writing
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What does getting it right the first time cost us?
Building in public has helped my practice grow by letting actual use inform the next decision. What do we lose when professionalism means nobody can see us revise?
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The gift I spent a career avoiding
Being fired can lead somewhere better without making the harm a gift. Reflecting on the human cost of work, where corporate responsibility stops, and what studying public health is teaching me to question.
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What I’m building with Groundtruth 911
Groundtruth 911 has a public home. How the work took shape, why human judgment is central to Validation Workbench, and what I want to build next.
Still here
Earlier work
Finished projects, past gatherings, and ideas I’ve put down. They’re part of the story, too.
Browse the archive- Pact Retired
- La Luna en Mí Complete
- The tiny brand publisher Complete
- All Hands, No Jobs Complete
Correspondence
New writing.
No schedule promised.
Essays, build notes, and whatever else is worth sending.
Get new writing