Abstract

OLIVERAS GONZALEZ, Xavier. Urban Convergence: Opportunity for Cross-Border Collaboration between Matamoros and Brownsville (Mexico-United States)?. Estud. demogr. urbanos [online]. 2016, vol.31, n.1, pp.57-85. ISSN 2448-6515.

Although cross-border cities are expanded through both sides of an international border, their urban planning and management is limited to political-administrative boundaries. Collaboration appears to be a local strategy to solve that dysfunctionality. Convergence and divergence on urban challenges can benefit or hinder cross-border planning and management initiatives. Collaboration opportunities are evaluated for the case of Matamoros-Brownsville, on the Mexico-United States border, where some collaboration initiatives have been jointly conducted along the last 50 years. There have been detected some convergent and also divergent elements on the urban challenges faced by both cities.

Keywords : urban planning and management; convergence; cross-border collaboration; urban challenge; Mexico-US border.