Cardinal Divide: Inverting the Stigma of Borders as Dividers

The United States border delineation with Mexico has always been at the center of controversial thinking. The proposal for a wall intended to seperate the two nations is tied to ideological differences and comes with connotations of sectarianism and intolerance. While reasons do exist to consider and implement border policies that protect against illegal immigration, constucting a wall becomes a physical manifestation of those aformentioned connotations. One region along the 2,000 miles stretch of border is a perfect model of strong border relations. The dichotomy of San Diego and Tijuana is proof of the strength gained from integrated border logistics. Currently, technologies in manufacturing and research dominate the regions economies ranking it among the top locales for these fields in both the USA and Mexico. The Cardinal Divide is the physical manifestation of the advantages of the current border relationship between San Diego and Tijuana, therefore it inverts the thinking of a border as a divider. It operates as a STEM center as well as a border crossing for those in the fields of STEM. The goal of the facility is to promote STEM education and research to the younger generations in both cities, strengthen the already solid ties between them by providing research labs, educational spaces, and act as a throughput for technological research based thinking