“These transnational city-regions are the dynamic centers of demographic and economic growth, as well as of fundamental shifts in cultural, political, and social life." -Michael Dear
San Ysidro lies on the edge of San Diego County. It neighbors the San Diego-Tijuana border, the busiest land port of entry in the Western Hemisphere, with approximately 50,000 northbound vehicles and 25,000 northbound pedestrians crossing daily. The community is largely Hispanic/Latino and has a population of over 28,000. San Ysidro consists of about 10 districts but for the purpose of the study only three will be examined, the San Ysidro Commercial District, the San Ysidro South Neighborhood District, and the Border Village District.
"San Ysidro, the location of the principal border crossing, is neither American nor Mexican but somewhere in between, a product of both nations."
-Michael Dear
San ysidro Commercial and South Neighborhood District
The San Ysidro Commercial District is largely made up of the Las Americas Premium Outlets, a popular attraction for both locals and tourists. Neighboring the Commercial District is the South Neighborhood District, which consists of expansive tract housing. Both of these areas can be categorized as top-down and stereotypically American. Despite the proximity to the border, there is no Mexican influence present.
San Ysidro Border Village
The San Ysidro Border Village District is located about 5 minutes away from the Commercial and South Neighborhood Districts. Small make-shift shops, money exchange centers, immigration services, and other miscellaneous businesses make up the economic center in this area. The proximity to the border is essential to its survival.
This is one of many money exchange kiosks that can be found throughout this area. The small building is decorated with bright red and yellow paint as well as a multitude of signs. These signs are shown in a combination of Spanish and English so that they can appeal to two different audiences. The goal of this business is to attract people that are crossing either side of the border. Photo by Maddie Lord.
What does this mean?
It is clear that these different locations, the San Ysidro Commercial and South Neighborhood District and the San Ysidro Border Village, are responding to the proximity of the border in different ways. Despite how close they are to one another, two different types of identities have been created. The former is denying the existence of the border and attempting to associate purely with American culture. This region could theoretically be found anywhere in the United States, it does not have any telling signs that make it particularly unique. The latter, on the other hand, is dependent on the border. The culture found here is an undeniable mix of American and Mexican. This is shown by the businesses that respond to the necessities of people crossing either side of the border.
“Border people are different from others in their respective nations, they are self-conscious about living in the spaces between two nations, and they understand that a shared identity is produced through interaction across the line.”
-Michael Dear
Although neither approach or identity can be deemed the "correct" way, it can be argued that the reaction of the San Ysidro Border Village utilizes the location of the border in a beneficial way. Michael Dear claims that the relationship produced by the coming together of two different countries is essential to the growth of the region, he defines this area as the "third nation." When examining the culture of San Diego, it is important to keep this idea in mind. The city itself is a mix of American and Mexican culture, perhaps not quite as intense as the culture found in the Border Village, but nonetheless essential to the makeup of San Diego. The existence of a combined cultural influence produces a better understanding economically, politically, and socially. The relationship between San Diego and Tijuana is extremely important to both cities, they thrive off of a shared culture. Both sides are gaining from the give and take relationship that exists between them. One could not exist today as it does without the other.
"A 'third nation' is a community carved out of the territories between two existing nation-states."
-Michael Dear
The border, the physical wall between the United States and Mexico, exists with the intention of completely separating the two countries. The barrier is supposed to stop any sort of overflow, whether it be people or culture. The success of the border is debatable. From what is shown above it can be deciphered that the border is not capable of complete isolation. The San Ysidro Border Village proves that there still exists an exchange of two different cultures. It is worth noting that the border does provide obstacles and has made this exchange much more difficult. In order to better understand the idea of a border it is important to consider the work of Michael Dear and Eyal Weizman.
Michael Dear extensively analyzes the presence of the border between the United States and Mexico. He places extreme value on the shared culture produced by the proximity of the two countries. Dear sees the physical barrier as something that has created a lot of unnecessary tension and problems for what was once considered a more harmonious relationship. He makes it clear that the border was not sanctioned by the Mexican government who stated, "a wall is never the solution to problems" and "all walls eventually get torn down." The wall serves a very specific purpose, to "protect" the United States from immigrants. Dear argues that the people and culture we are seeking to keep out of the US are incredibly important to the growth of our country. He also points out that the idea of having a physical barrier is relatively new and "from the perspective of a long history of borderland connectivity, the Wall is an unprecedented historical aberration." Despite its presence, Dear concludes that the wall ultimately does not succeed and each country thrives off of its failure. He claims that the binational connection is too strong allowing the culture to transcend the national border.
"The border is a permeable membrane connecting two countries. The inhabitants of this "in-between" territory thrive on cross-border exchange and collaboration, both of which have flourished for many centuries."
-Michael Dear
Eyal Weizman investigates the evolution of the Occupied Palestinian Territories under Israeli rule. A barrier was "constructed through the entire West Bank to separate Jewish settlements and Israeli cities from Palestinian towns and villages." It is made up of 8-meter high concrete slabs, barbed wire, electronic fences, cameras, radar, deep trenches, patrol roads and observation posts. Weizman states that the majority of the Israeli public support the politics of separation created by the Wall, while the Palestinians viewed the Wall as a horrific interruption in their daily lives.
"The frontiers of the Occupied Territories are not rigid and fixed at all; rather, they are elastic, and in constant transformation."
-Eyal Weizman
Weizman describes the Wall as an act of "urban warfare," claiming that it is "the ultimate post-modern form of warfare." He describes the physical barrier in relation to the violence that it perpetuates, such as the destruction of Palestinian towns, the rerouting of their daily routines, and the segregation of their communities. The creation of the Wall was one-sided, it clearly benefited the interests of the Israelis, not the Palestinians. Weizman often speaks to the political dilemmas between the Israeli and Palestinian communities, concluding that the Wall is not the solution, the political differences cannot be solved through the construction of a large barrier. Architecture has been used as a means of temporary relief but instead of resolving issues it has merely created more.
"Architecture was commonly understood to be one of the direct instruments of occupation."
-Eyal Weizman
As someone who is from San Diego, I have seen the daily influence of Mexican culture. Michael Dear quotes another native San Diegan, "If it wasn't for Tijuana, San Diego would be unlivable." The truth of this statement is subjective, but it can be agreed that the proximity of the border does provide San Diego with cultural advantages. Coined with the nickname, "America's Finest City," it is ironic that the city cannot accurately be defined as "purely American." Yet this mix is what makes the city so unique and desirable. It is also essential that the physical barrier continues to fail. While I do see the benefits of having a wall between the United States and Mexico, I believe that ability for culture to transcend the border is crucial to our growth as a country.
References
Dear, Michael. Why Walls Won't Work: Repairing the US-Mexico Divide. Oxford University Press, 2013.
Harvey, D. (2008). “The Right to the City.” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research.
Hou, Jeffrey (ed.). Insurgent Public Space: Guerrilla urbanism and remaking of contemporary cities:
Rios, M. (2010). “Claiming Latino Space: Cultural insurgency in the public realm.”
Villagomez, E. (2010). “Claiming Residual Space in the Heterogeneous City.”
Rojas, J. (2010). “Latino Urbanism is Los Angeles: A model for urban improvisation and
Reinvention.”
Lepik, Andres. "Casa Familiar: Living Rooms at the Border and Senior Housing with Childcare." In Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement. 94-95. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2010.
The City of San Diego, Planning Department. "San Ysidro." http://www.sandiego.gov/planning/community/profiles/sanysidro/.
The City of San Diego, Planning Department. "San Ysidro Community Plan Update." Last modified March 2012. http://www.sandiego.gov/planning/community/cpu/sanysidro/pdf/sanysidromarketstudy120314.pdf.
U.S. General Services Administration. "San Ysidro Land Port of Entry." Last modified September, 15th, 2014. http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104872.
Weizman, Eyal. Hollow Land: Israel's Architecture of Occupation. Verso, 2012.
Harvey, D. (2008). “The Right to the City.” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research.
Hou, Jeffrey (ed.). Insurgent Public Space: Guerrilla urbanism and remaking of contemporary cities:
Rios, M. (2010). “Claiming Latino Space: Cultural insurgency in the public realm.”
Villagomez, E. (2010). “Claiming Residual Space in the Heterogeneous City.”
Rojas, J. (2010). “Latino Urbanism is Los Angeles: A model for urban improvisation and
Reinvention.”
Lepik, Andres. "Casa Familiar: Living Rooms at the Border and Senior Housing with Childcare." In Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement. 94-95. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2010.
The City of San Diego, Planning Department. "San Ysidro." http://www.sandiego.gov/planning/community/profiles/sanysidro/.
The City of San Diego, Planning Department. "San Ysidro Community Plan Update." Last modified March 2012. http://www.sandiego.gov/planning/community/cpu/sanysidro/pdf/sanysidromarketstudy120314.pdf.
U.S. General Services Administration. "San Ysidro Land Port of Entry." Last modified September, 15th, 2014. http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104872.
Weizman, Eyal. Hollow Land: Israel's Architecture of Occupation. Verso, 2012.