The border between Mexico and the US is characterized by several sister-city pairs that partner to form five "mega-regions" of joint cooperation and industrial focus.
Among them is the border region between California in the US and Baja California in Mexico, a diverse but strong industrial center with strong assets for cross-border cooperation. The CaliBaja Mega Region is prominent.
The Mega Region
The CaliBaja Mega Region has much going for it and is currently ramping up for an array of future cross-border economic activity, particularly in the manufacturing arena. It is primarily comprised of California counties, San Diego and Imperial, and the Baja California municipios of Tijuana, Tecate, and Mexicali.
Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California is located directly adjacent to the international border, presenting a unique opportunity for local political consensus building and cross-border economic development in this mega-region that holds over 6 million inhabitants.
Several unique assets position the CaliBaja MegaRegion
m3ga at the forefront of cross-border economic development, including:
Over 90 colleges/universities and over 80 research institutes
Innovation across numerous local industries
A large, diverse local economy
A robust internal infrastructure connections including 6 border crossings, 5 interstate freeways, 5 international airports, 2 specialized maritime port facilities and rail links
Successive waves of cross-border advanced manufacturing development
A recently blossoming urban/civic renaissance in Tijuana
New advances are also currently underway to further this momentum, including a:
$741 million investment in renovating the San Ysidro Port of Entry
unique cross-border air terminal
new port of entry due to begin construction in 2017
number of other large-scale infrastructure improvements
Concentrated Industry Clusters
The CaliBaja Mega