Cross-national Urban Structure in the Era of Global Cities: The US-Mexico Transfrontier Metropolis

Abstract

The growth of cities along international boundaries is symptomatic of the gradual integration of border territory into the economic circuitry of the world system. Border urbanisation represents an important regional dimension to the emerging dialogue on global cities. This article examines the US-Mexico transfrontier metropolis, a container of accelerating US-Mexico, First World-Third World integration, manifest within the physical space of a city. The transnational structure of this border metropolis is examined on two levels: social interaction (commuter workers), and economic connectivity (assembly plants).