Improving social conditions along the border is an imparative. One way to do this is to increase opportunities for healthy lifestyles. Running, walking and biking, for example, are inherently social activities where networks between people with common interests are formed. The social capital produced by these networks is a core element in the fabric of communities: it produces safety and security, friendship and community, civic identity and economic value. Over time, social capital builds what may be termed “social infrastructure,” a key element in the success and health of communities. One of the most devastating consequences of border wall security in its present state is the division of communities, cities, neighborhoods and families, and the erosion of social infrastructure.
We have seen how in many cases, sporting activities, such as yoga, volleyball and horse racing have served as a way to cope with the realities of the wall. As such, the border wall can and should be envisioned as a linear urban park through certain urban geographies.
When supplemented with green spaces, connected to schools and other parks, there is no reason not to think of the wall as the organizing condition for an urban park, offering pedestrian and bicycle routes through the city. The linear park, in turn, has the potential to increase adjacent property values and the quality of life on both sides of the border while providing an important green corridor through the city.
