The Special Relationship Between San Diego and Tijuana featuring Paola Avila

The Finest City

Every city has a story. And this one is about San Diego. You might know it as a paradise of ocean and sunshine, but as the most biodiverse region in the country, and one half of the second largest by binational metropolis in North America, it's also a battleground. On The Finest City podcast, we will be talking with the creatives, environmentalist and social justice warriors who've been on the front line fighting for progressive planning in this uniquely special city.

Timestamps:

[0:48] Kate Goodson introduces the talk from June 22, 2020 between C3 Board Director and Government Relations Professional Denise Price and Paola Avila, the Vice President of International Business Affairs of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. The two discuss economic binationalism at the US Mexico border. Paola shares some insightful and ultimately hopeful observations about opportunities for cultural and economic exchange between Mexico and the San Diego

[1:28] Much has changed over the past 100 years in the relationship between San Diego and Tijuana. The two discuss what a binational region is and how the Mayor welcoming his Mexican counterparts in Spanish sends a message to the rest of the city that the two are in a proud partnership.

[2:38] An international boundary may have been placed through the community, but San Diego and Mexico are very much not divided in the way they flourish economically together.

[5:38] Many of the decision and policy makers couldn’t be further away from the border and don’t have the same experience of the men and women that live it every day. The Chamber seeks to clear up the misunderstandings and misconceptions about the San Diego / Mexico relationship and that we want to continue sharing a history and future.

[8:12] The wall hurts the relationship and is ineffective in adding security. Instead, we would be better off sharing information and collaborating.

[11:10] Paola talks about the interdependence between San Diego and Mexico in many things including engineering, flourishing tourism, a rich talent pool, and a blue economy.

[15:01] The two discuss what the future of the San Diego / Mexico relationship looks like, especially post-pandemic. Paola points out that Baha has a high percentage that are essential workers and didn’t have the luxury to stay home.

About C-3

In its 60 years of existence, Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 (C-3) has brought together local thought leaders from planning, design, policy, academia, community development, and more to address our region's distinctive and pressing land use challenges. In founding C-3 almost 60 years ago, architect Lloyd Ruocco’s vision was to bring together our region's most creative minds from the arts, sciences, academia, and government to share ideas, learn new perspectives, and build fellowship around the idea of creating livable communities.

Opportunities for Advocacy and Engagement:

http://c3sandiego.org/

https://sdchamber.org/

Quotes:

• “It is a history that unites us, people that unites us.” - Denise
• “Going to Mexico was like going to Vegas, but it’s a lot different now.” - Paola
• “We are going to build this bridge despite the boundaries that we share. It is a welcome to our region.” - Paola