Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias

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Foreword

We are pleased to present this San Diego-Tijuana International Area Planning Atlas. It is the product of close cooperation of entities on both sides of the border and is truly a binational effort. It demonstrates the synergies that result from collaboration of institutions in the San Diego-Tijuana region, including San Diego State University, the San Diego Association of Governments, the City of San Diego, and IMPlan, the municipal planning institute of Tijuana.

As the San Diego-Tijuana region increases in population and economic and social links across the border become stronger, opportunities and challenges will increasingly be regional and transborder in nature. Through close cooperation among stakeholders in Tijuana and San Diego, the region will be able to more efficiently address border-related issues and more effectively take advantage of opportunities that are present in the binational region.

This Atlas is designed to help regional stakeholders from all sectors in their efforts to address transborder issues and to benefit from opportunities at the border. Just as San Diego and Tijuana are a key interface between Mexico and the United States, the strip of land covered by the thematic maps and text of this work is the interface between the two cities. The Atlas will help developers, governments, and community members to better understand the impacts and opportunities related to projects proposed for this zone. The area detailed in the planning atlas will be the subject of significant changes in the years to come. Industrial development will increase in Mesa de Otay and Otay Mesa; San Diego's Brown Field and Tijuana's Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport will undergo considerable expansion; and the ports of entry will be modified and expanded to address the ever growing needs for movement of people and goods across the border. We trust that this Atlas will be an initial positive step to help coordinate future border area growth and development for the benefit of communities on both sides of the international boundary.

Susan Golding, Mayor, City of San Diego
Francisco A. Vega de Lamadrid, Municipal President, Municipality of Tijuana
Art Madrid, Chairman, San Diego Association of Governments
Carlos Graizbord, Director, Municipal Planning Institute, Tijuana
Stephen Weber, President, San Diego State University