Socio-economic differences in the urban border areas of Imperial County, California and Mexicali, Baja California

James Pick, University of Redlands
Nanda Viswanathan, Delaware State University

A new application of spatial analysis is developed and applied to study urban socioeconomic attribute differences in the binational urban region of Mexicali, Baja California, and Imperial County, California. The research goals are to describe the spatial patterns of socioeconomic characteristics; to evaluate if these patterns conform to a hybrid spatial model; to test the usefulness of a commonality index that shows the extent of similarities or differences on both sides of the border; and to evaluate the implications for urban development and regional planning. The commonality index assesses the groups of clusters to determine how evenly they are distributed on both sides of the border. The findings indicate that the binational urban area conforms to a hybrid spatial model, in particular Mexicali tends to support a Mexican border city model, while the urban areas of Imperial County conform to rings or sectors, as well as disorder for some attributes.