Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias

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Map 10. Public Facilities

Ana María Lemus & John Hofmockel

Map 10 contains data on public facilities in the International Border Planning Area. Public facilities include parks, schools, higher education institutions, health care facilities, libraries, and public safety installations, such as police and fire protection. The large number of facilities in Tijuana contrasts with relatively few facilities on the San Diego portion of the map. This is related to the density and distribution of population in the two areas, as can be seen clearly in Map 7. On the U.S. side of the planning area, these services are concentrated in the densely populated community of San Ysidro. The Tijuana portion of the planning area shows an even distribution of services, except for the very eastern zone that is now urbanizing. The area of Tijuana that is adjacent to the international boundary has a much greater concentration of public facilities than most other zones of the city. A likely explanation is that Tijuana's border planning area includes many older sectors of the city and the two areas that were developed more recently, Playas de Tijuana and parts of the Zona Río, were planned to include these facilities.

Health services in Tijuana are provided by both public and private institutions. The Secretariat of Health (Secretaría de Salud—SSA), along with private health care entities, provides services for the 45 percent of Tijuana's population that is not covered by one of the government-established health care programs. SSA, among other facilities, operates the General Hospital of Tijuana, located in the Zona Río. The Mexican Institute of Social Security (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social—IMSS) provides full health care services for employees of private companies through six primary care units and two hospitals. Employees of the maquiladora industry, for example, use the IMSS system. The Institute for Social Security Services for State Employees (Instituto de Seguridad de Servicios Sociales para los Trabajadores del Estado—ISSSTE) provides health services for federal employees through four units, one of which is a general hospital. ISSSTECALI, the Institute of Health and Social Security for Employees of the State of Baja California, provides services for Baja California state employees through a number of health care centers and one general hospital. The Mexican Red Cross has one emergency response post and 10 first aid groups and emergency institutions. The San Diego portion of the International Border Planning Area has only two medical clinics and no hospitals. However, full medical services are available in Chula Vista, just north of the planning area.

At present, the City of Tijuana has 75 parks that are classified as follows: 42 children's playgrounds, 19 neighborhood gardens, 12 neighborhood parks, and two city parks. About 50 of these are located in the International Border Planning Area. The largest park in the planning area is Parque Amistad, a large complex on Mesa de Otay with green areas, sports fields, and an artificial lake. The public beach along the coast at Playas de Tijuana is also an important recreation resource for Tijuana.

The International Border Planning Area in Tijuana has a well-established education infrastructure. Tijuana is somewhat unusual for Mexican municipalities in that it has a system of municipal primary, secondary, and preparatory schools to complement the system run by the state of Baja California. Three primary schools and one secondary school of the municipal system are located in the study area, along with many state and private primary, secondary, and preparatory schools. Higher education institutions in the planning area include the Autonomous University of Baja California and the Technological Institute of Tijuana on Mesa de Otay, as well as the University Center of Tijuana and the lbero-American University of the Northwest, located in the western Playas de Tijuana zone. In addition to the libraries of these universities, there are nine libraries of the Tijuana municipal library system in the International Border Planning Area.

Within the planning area north of the border, there are six elementary schools and one middle school. The senior high school serving San Ysidro is located just north of the International Border Planning Area. Adopted plans for future development include sites for five more elementary schools and one senior high school to accommodate projected population growth. One branch library of the San Diego County system currently serves the residents in San Ysidro and plans call for its replacement with a larger facility. Two fire stations are located in the area and another is planned. One station is located in the San Ysidro community and a newer station is located near Brown Field.

There are a number of public parks and natural areas in the San Diego portion of the International Boundary Planning Area that help meet the needs of the area's residents. The Border Field State Park includes picnic areas and a beach and is located adjacent to the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. The latter has a visitor's center with information and interpretive exhibits and the estuary is a favorite site for recreational bird watching, attracting visitors from throughout the United States and foreign countries. The Tijuana River Valley Regional Park, which occupies a large area in the river valley, has a number of hiking and horseback riding trails. The beach from the international border northward to the urbanized area of Imperial Beach is open for public use, except when poor ocean water quality requires temporary closure. In the area of San Ysidro, there are five small neighborhood parks, one community park that includes the San Ysidro Recreation Center, and several public schools with athletic fields used by the general public. Adopted community plans identify future park sites within San Ysidro and Otay Mesa.

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Tijuana's main fire station, located in the Zona Centro near the international boundary. 2000.

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The Omnimax Theater at Tijuana's Cultural Center in Zona Río. 2000.

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Tijuana's General Hospital, located adjacent to the channelizd Tijuana River in Zona Río. 2000.

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Avenida Revolución in Tijuana, the central tourism district. 2000.