TRACK No.4                                                 

THE BORDER ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY IN THE SMART GROWTH ERA    

Introduction:

      While both Mexico and the United States as a whole have enjoyed some benefits of their commercial exchange, the border region carries the heaviest load of the less beneficial consequences of their trade relations. Even though the tight network of commercial ties seem to weave the states and cities of these two countries into a single region and community of interests, their proximity does not work to the same extent to the advantage of the shared environment in which they thrive. The goal of this track is to identify the environmental challenges faced as a result of urban growth patterns and design, as well as ways in which organizations can help citizens and decision makers to prevent past mistakes and build on the opportunities that come with living in a shared environment.

Environmental Challenges of Urban Development in the Border Region:

      Border cities have emerged and developed largely due to the trade relationship between the two countries. Despite increased trade and industrial production in the past four decades, wages have not increased in the same proportion; on the contrary, they have diminished and as a consequence, the divide between those living in extreme poverty and extreme wealth has also increased. Environmental degradation as a result of intensive resource consumption and generation of waste caused by rapid population growth is aggravated even more by the lack of sufficient and inadequate housing and public services which is especially true for poor neighborhoods. On the one hand, the explosive demand of infrastructure to accommodate the rapid population growth, has surpassed by far, any planning efforts attempted by different levels of government, and on the other, the fact that the vast majority of this added population lives in poverty, causes serious pressures on the quality of border environment.

      Inadequate urban design is largely responsible for poor air quality in the states and cities on both sides of the border. Most of these cities are transit oriented, without “walkability” and connectivity factored into urban design, preventing people from choosing less polluting and healthier transit choices. Border cities are subject to rising air pollution levels because of car emissions not being regulated in many Mexican border cities and the intense traffic at the border crossings during peak hours which create congestion throughout the cities in both border cities.. Air pollution is further aggravated by dust from unpaved streets which is true about 47% of the roads in cities south of the border.

      In the case of cities in the U.S. border, urban sprawl and south of the border, spreading squatter communities and huge low income housing developments, are responsible for destroying the decreasing reserves of open spaces, leaving insufficient green corridors, wetlands and other resources required for habitat preservation valuable for maintaining regional environmental services. New residential, commercial and industrial developments arise and spread with little consistency with master plans, and insufficient input from experts and other stakeholders in environmental protection.

      Mexican border cities still lack basic environmental infrastructure for drinking water, waste water treatment and reclamation (so crucial due to our scarce water resources), solid and hazardous waste disposal and clean energy generation. which, along with continued deforestation and erosion, cause serious environmental impacts locally and in their surrounding areas. Despite the options offered by the BECC/NADBank, the current interests on the loans and the resistance or ability of local governments to commit to loans which compromise future government administrations makes these opportunities difficult to access, meanwhile environmental degradation increases as cities continue to grow.

      In the case of sister cities, urban planning often lacks long term or large scale vision, consistent with regional scale planning, in the big picture of its multifactor and transborder context. Without any requirements for transboundary impact statements, there are many examples of infrastructure projects in the U.S., built without regard to the environment south of the border, or impacts to sensitive environments north of the border from run off, carrying waste water, trash and excessive sedimentation, which results from the lack of proper infrastructure, such as sewage, waste water treatment or erosion control measures south of the border.

      The fragile environment in northern Mexico is not only subject to the pressures caused by the demands of its own growth but also by those imposed by growth of U.S cities and states. For example, in rural areas of the city of Tecate, Baja California, gravel from the river beds is extracted for use in the construction industry, albeit, not for local but for Southern California highway and private development.. This has activity, causes rivers to deviate, influencing erosion patterns, which result in mudslides and floods. The natural resources and habitat in the Mexican border will be the ones put at risk in order to build and operate huge energy projects to supply mainly the U.S. and only secondarily the Mexican market.

      The Border 2012 program which continues to address border environmental protection, requires greater involvement of experts and decision makers of both countries engaged in economic and urban development and design, that can help address border environmental issues in the context of the big picture of cross border urban development in which they arise.

Issues for discussion:

This track will focus on discussion of:

• Policy options for addressing habitat preservation given the continued demand for urban growth.
• Current trends in urban development and design for addressing environmental degradation derived from urban development .
• Applicability of expanded NADBank and BECC projects and opportunities.
• Ways in which civil society organizations can better affect change in urban development and design on behalf of environmental protection.