Open borders

London – Global architecture and design firm FR-EE has proposed a vision for a binational city on the border between Mexico and the US.

• The concept is rooted in the long history of places where frontiers meet – cities where cultures both clash and blend
• FR-EE’s masterplan features themed zones laid out in a hexagon, with cultural, medical and industrial epicentres

In a presentation at the inaugural London Design Biennale the team showed its Border City project, a masterplan highlighting opportunities for industrial growth and further employment opportunities for the area’s 200m people.

The aim is to show a utopian vision for US and Mexican relations, addressing fears and anxieties around border control that have been exacerbated by presidential candidate Donald Trump, who proposed building a wall on America's southern border in his 2016 election campaign.

‘With technology, borders are just becoming symbolic limits,’ architect Fernando Romero told Dezeen. ‘The reality is that there exists a very strong mutual dependency of economies and trades.’