Fernando Romero, a Mexican architect, has a better idea: build a bridge city on the border. He unveiled his idea at the inaugural London Design Biennale event. The event has the theme, “Utopia by Design.” His architecture firm writes:
“The concept is rooted in the long history of places where frontiers meet, cities where cultures both clash and blend to create something altogether unique, places like Hong Kong, Andorra, Baarle Hertog/Baarle Nassau, and Standstead/Derby Line. Border City is the first integrated masterplan for a binational city conducive to both sides of the border, employing tools of enterprise such as special economic zones to argue for its viability.”
The world is globalizing, and the future is about connections, not about divisions. Romero’s city, which would straddle the Mexican state of Chihuahua, as well as Texas and New Mexico, would be walkable, well-connected, and open to people on both sides of the border. Romero actually has a chance to see his vision come to life: he plans on beginning to build on private land in the next decade.
This is the world we want to see. Not one where everyone is walled off from one another. 