Scholars redefine the border conversation at Arizona-Sonora Colloquium
The U.S.-Mexico border is a complicated mosaic of unpredictable policies and shifting economic tides. A patchwork of man-made and natural barriers spanning four U.S. states and almost 2,000 miles, the stretch is usually defined by the things it separates.
But at the Arizona-Sonora Colloquium, academics aimed to challenge that notion by reconnecting the area’s historic ties and forging a more sustainable future for both lands.
The biennial event convened for its latest session April 4–5 at Arizona State University and gathered researchers, university presidents and public policy representatives from across Arizona and Mexico’s northern state of Sonora to discuss how knowledge exchange can be used as a tool to build resiliency.
Where others see a delineating borderline, Program for Transborder Communities’ Director Francisco Lara-Valencia sees a transborder megaregion. Lara-Valencia is a senior sustainability scientist in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and an associate professor in the School of Transborder Studies. Senior Sustainability Scientist Enrique Vivoni was also involved in the event.
Read the full recap on ASU Now.