Impediments and Overlays
El Paso Internacional del Norte Overlays
One way to really appreciate the overlays is to simply look at your hands. If you look at your hands carefully, you can see how very flexible and dexterous they can really be. Once you have looked at your hands, look at the world around that man has built. From the hand devices to the sky scrapers, all done in one way or fashion with the same kind of hands that sit in front of you.
The Overlays are the work that can be done upon some physical object. The physical object happens to be the elevated dirt which is both a levee and the base of the Deck of the River Uplift.
The River Uplift physical infrastructure needs the overlays and the overlays need the physical infrastructure in the design of a self-sustaining economic occupied secured border.
Between the hands that built physical mechanical devices , sky scrapers, automobiles, and everything around us, it is the intellect that put power behind the fingers, hands, arms, and body that built all these physical wonders around us. Such are the overlays to the physical infrastructure of the River Uplift.
What can be described today about the border fence in an urban environment is the brute use of physical infrastructure with some intellect behind it that is the cameras, border patrol, and communications.
It is akin to having one department of one of the schools of the local university come up with a solution which works yet lacks any vigor or gives any real solution. In this case it was one contractor with one solution such as the SBInet.
It is time to put the full force of all the schools at the local university to create a comprehensive solution. The solution should be a multi-level and multi-source solution that does not come from one “contractor” or only the federal government. Multi-level would mean federal border patrol as well as state and local police as an example and multi-source would be local government , federal government as well as business and other public organizations.
If the largest twin cities on the border anywhere in the world had two large universities to come up with an alternative solution, would not that be how one solution should be derived? By contrast, a solution has been driven by federal policies and a lack of local policies is where we stand today and the border fence is the result. The border fence represents one of several alternatives and is not the most perfect.
It is not the most perfect for one because its security net is not self-sustaining but that may not have been a criteria. Another reason is that the question of real security comes to the forefront of the conversation. Is this real security and if it is, how many ways could this have been done with other interest in mind such as self-sustaining security and beneficial use to the border urban environment. Is the border fence too high a price for a city to pay in its image of itself and its place among other cities? Would the same have been done to Baltimore, St Louis, New York, Seattle if placed in similar circumstances or is this what border cities are given. How do we know which is true? Upon what criteria was set that the solution ultimately only became a fence in an urban environment?
If a community can offer anything that represents hope and the future, it is the opportunity for locally educated people to come up with a local solution to this problem of “security” for the nation and the cities along the border. The overlays will become the children of a vast pool of knowledge, technology, human energy, creativity, and inspiration to solve a problem. Each university has individual colleges and schools and each one can support the intellectual process of the overlays which have to be created for the physical infrastructure we call the border.
It is easy to see how the college of business and engineering can have a major role in these overlays but what about the colleges of education, health sciences, liberal arts, and science. How do they play a role in these overlays? Other schools and colleges in the area include aerospace, nursing, architecture, agriculture, and others. All these, in an intellectual sense have something to do with overlays.
The most important component about all of them is the contribution to society and the building of a society. As each school and college has a role to play in society at large, they also serve as the components that will be incorporated into the overlays.
The River Uplift is about people occupying the border obviously for a beneficial purpose. This occupation is different than the existing use of the border which is only occupied by the border patrol.
To be able to successfully occupy the border, many human activities have to occur as a normal pace of life and it cannot be artificially created. It is also committing to form which makes occupation more successful. This is the difference of using the area for pedestrian traffic versus vehicular.
Human occupation, lingering, walking, stopping and talking is just more successful in occupying an area than is driving through it. It just happens that creating a pedestrian traffic corridor is a healthy life style and currently fits a type of building construction called form-based code construction or also known as New Urbanism.
As much as it is a positive impact for a healthy living, the pedestrian traffic corridor along the River Uplift is motivated mostly by the need for occupation first. It is more important to have hundreds of people along both sides of El Paseo simply for the need to occupy the border than the altruistic goal of getting people to walk more. The motive could not be any clearer.
It just happens also that a lot can be done to make a walking experience pleasurable and promote regularity in its habit and life style.
In the end, it will be the people of creativity who can make the biggest impact along El Paseo. It will be their vision in architecture form, landscaping creation, color, shapes, written language, song, theater, and artistic ideas that will come to define El Paseo. Business and engineering will simply be tools to bring these creations to fruition and be managed.
The Physical Infrastructure.
The physical infrastructure is just the land that humans will occupy along the border. Security by occupation is that security that has thousands of people milling around the border within view of the river bottom and across the other side. To be that close, it is practically on the edge of the levee. This is where the occupation will occur as well as some distance across the highways as found along the El Paso and Cd Juarez border.
Unlike the El Paso and Cd Juarez border, the Santa Teresa / San Jeronimo area does not have a freeway to get in the way and the development can be more cohesive.
The freeway is just an obstacle but it offers something in return; the ability to have high density transportation to serve a proposed high density area which would require vehicular or public transportation options as well as pedestrian options. So as such that there is a freeway, it is incorporated into the border security as it is also made part of El Paseo perimeter. That space of course would be above the freeway.
Another point about the physical infrastructure is this concept of occupation. The definition used comes from the word occupancy as worded by the Merriam-Webster dictionary: the possession, use, or settlement of land. It is the spatial occupancy of this space very close to the borderline between both countries. The reason to define occupation is because it is being done now but for different reasons.
The border patrol in effect is occupying the borderland, as a military force would, to prevent an invasion from the opposite side. Why else are they along the border if it is not to occupy it and to defend it. Such a description or definition may not be how the border patrol would put it but in essence, that is what is going on. Because it was never defined this way, it never got the negative response that demanded change.
It may be argued whether this is true but the fact remains that the border patrol gets to ride in their all-terrain vehicles and anyone in the public domain may get arrested for doing the same. That essentially is their occupation and not public occupation.
Why is occupation important? It is the freedom that brings people together which defines space and human experience and as humans we just simply convert certain spaces for different uses hence homes, shopping centers, theaters, etc. It is that freedom denied to use that space along the border which has made it a place of danger and lack of security.
Although this seems logical what makes the opposite true? It is not so much that the opposite is true but that the definitions of what are described and proposed are never clear. If the border fence was such an overwhelming solution to the problem then there must have been some overwhelming defined terms that described so clearly this only solution. To propose even the border fence must also have meant that there are obviously some alternatives. What was a static problem became dynamic as soon as the border fence was proposed and built.
That is to say, if a new solution was needed and the result was a border fence, then there must be an even newer and better alternative because it would say otherwise that the border fence is the best alternative for a millennium or until we all forget, which could be two years for most people.
So it is difficult for the proponents of the border fence to say that the border fence is the best solution forever because that was not the case 5 or 10 years ago. So what changed that made the border fence the perfect solution and because of this change, that legal precedent infers that there is or that there will be change in the future.
It is almost impossible to argue that the border fence is the ultimate solution because that would infer that there will never be any change where as it was some change that made the border fence the solution in the first place.
What change is needed in the future is a new level of security for the city and the nation along the urban border which includes occupation from the citizens that live along the border.
The act of lounging around, loitering, stopping and looking around, sitting huddled around, sitting reading a book and all those great human things we do in open areas suitable for walking, talking, and sitting is what occupation is needed along El Paseo. It is not only that these activities give rise to pleasant days and allow children to ware down but it is just those activities that occupy space and time along El Paseo that is desired. When tens of thousands of people are doing all these things along El Paseo, the intangible threads of security are being created. This is the new and better security option which the push for these changes simply comes from the fact that there is no real security along the urban border but only military or police like occupation.
How is the border different from Iraq or Afghanistan in their evolution of security when it requires political and economic forces to bring real security to their country? How is that different along the urban border environment? The urban border has been occupied long enough by forces that have to relinquish control back to the civilian population so they may bring true peace and security to both sides of the border.
When free people can occupy El Paseo, it is a significant measure of security that is simply not found or measurable in the existing border fence matrix. People will vote with their feet and presence which will demonstrate the positive sense of security along El Paseo by simply being there. Where are these examples around the world of people freely grouping around which they did not feel secure to be there in the first place?
There are many example of naturally occurring gatherings of people. There are places that such activities are encourage in large numbers such at parks of all kinds, shopping centers, art galleries, large public events and a few other places. Usually this is not the goal from the onset but it occurs anyway. El Paseo would not only encourage this type of lingering activity but promoted it. El Paseo will be the number one place to just “linger” or “hang around.”
There are few places that people are encouraged to hang around. Normally an event will bring people together and this lingering activity happens naturally. Parks are a good example of hanging around with no preset reason or condition to be there but people enjoy the open atmosphere and enjoy interaction with other people either around them or by accident.
El Paseo should not be passed off as a park although it can be connected to some but instead be thought of as the corridor that all these interesting places can be reached. As a corridor, it will consist of two main corridors on each side of the border. There will be minor corridors that lead into commercial hubs as well as corridors that cross into the other country.
As a physical infrastructure, the main goal of the dirt below is to protect the area against floods which is what the main purpose of the levee serves. The height of this levee will or can become the height of Deck as described in the River Uplift. Sometimes it may make sense to have the Deck and Economic Extensions below or above the levee elevation. But to have a continuous surface in which the view is not obstructed either by the levee wall or the border highway, most of this surface may be at or above the levee elevation. This is a part of form and art that provides a best experience while at the same time this same packed dirt with cement on top serves as one level of defense along the border security network. It is just one component of a large set of components that creates security with the dual purpose of providing form and art that provides the best human experience.
It is the human experiences that will constantly provide occupation of the borderland than the believed need that the physical form provides the required physical impediment. That is what the current belief is now that a formidable 15 to 20 foot fence provides this security screen when a 6 foot glass wall barrier can provide the same level of security. This is so because the human need for experience will bring them to the borderline and their mass will create security and not the glass wall screen.
The way the border patrol brings security with a 15 foot wire mesh fence is to constantly patrol it when having thousands of people with a 6 foot glass wall screen can accomplish the same level of security. Again, the security with a population occupation and the glass wall screen is measurable while the 15 foot wire mesh is not.
The only way to remove this intrusive fence is to provide a security matrix of physical and intellectual impediments that surpasses this rudimentary security measure, is self-sustaining, decreases federal cost to maintain, and has measurable security components.
The treatment and focus of the physical impediments has many underlying dual uses with the intellectual impediments within a complete Paseo Internacional de Norte. Although there is the river with a Deck which is possibly at the same elevation or higher than the levee berm and the Economic Extensions which is an extension of the Deck, these two surfaces serve both to promote occupation and to deter illegal cross over.
It may seem a lower security scenario to use a glass wall screen than a 15 to 20 foot wire mesh fence but what is preventing anyone from crossing over? A 6 foot glass wall screen on both sides of the border with difficult inner concrete walls that are hard to scale can be designed to compete with one sided 15 foot wire mesh fence. This is part of the physical impediments that make occupation of the border successful and self-sustaining.
Other physical components include that the Economic Extensions surfaces that drop into the border freeway which maybe over a 10 to 15 foot drop. Otherwise the Spans that continue above to the other side of the freeway would be narrow enough to monitor with cameras or personnel. Even if they were 300 feet wide, they would still be choke points since jumping down into freeway traffic would be the other option.
Since most illegal crossings occur from Mexico into the USA, a special patrol unit would be trained to spot potential jumpers over the Mexico glass wall screen which would put the jumper in the middle of both countries. They would be trapped inside the middle because they would need a latter or rope to scale the walls on the other side. Such is the beginning of the physical impediments before they are able to scale the USA glass screen wall, travel over the Deck, Economic Extensions and jump down 10 to 15 foot where there is vehicular highway traffic or run around the choke points along the Span.
This is while hundreds of people are around and witnessing someone’s attempt to illegally cross the physical impediment and who can alert a police official on either side of the border.
What the physical impediments cannot provide is the trust between both countries, competent police forces on both sides of the border, and a willingness to make this work in the long run.
The physical impediments can only be designed to obstruct a normal person from crossing without tools, rope or a latter. Someone bringing such items would obviously alert the public and the police force on either side. The physical impediments will be required to be designed to make such impediments extremely difficult and yet be a thing of beauty and iconic at the same time. Good luck engineers.
Intellectual Impediments
The Intellectual impediments is where the fun, design, creativity can be expressed in a multitude of ways. There is the basic overlay where security cameras and their concentration will rival any city in the world in their use. Security cameras, local police and border patrol, and other monitoring application will still play a major role along El Paseo.
As in any large concentration of people where such cameras and police are monitoring the crowd, it is just a new part of reality along the border. Not only does it help spot potential problems and direct police forces to such problem areas or people, but it provides a type of security for people knowing they are being watch and the people around them are being watched.
People who don’t want to be watched or cannot afford to be seen will not visit El Paseo and that is in some sense a good thing. If a person’s intention is to be law abiding, then being monitor by camera and law enforcement should not be a problem. This type of camera and law enforcement observation is not unique and is going to be needed to take advantage of strategic locations to make observations 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Although the Homeland Security Overlay would be one of the most significant overlays, it is not discussed in detail anywhere but simple applications of light and cameras are discussed which in essences is part of this Overlay. It would be no secret that cameras are used and night time light to make effective use of the cameras but what is also considered here is the creative value.
Cameras may be harder to find for the aesthetic value of having less revealing and obtrusive mechanical devices but also to make it more difficult to ascertain where cameras are sweeping an area.
Having cameras hidden is just as important as not knowing that they are there for their security application as well as the wholesome and best human experience potential.
The same is true about lighting. Lighting El Paseo can be a mark of art as well as a need to discourage illegal activity as well as being able to use high quality cameras to view in the evening.
Currently, from the Scenic view around the mountains of El Paso and possibly in Cd Juarez, the lighting is un-impressive. You can see the border because it is the darkest area and a string of lighting follows along in this area. What can be considered is a bright white light distinguishable from all the other lighting around it that creates a positive impression to the people who can view it. And if the Space port travelers in New Mexico are able to see the closes real big city at night, it would be advantageous to impress them with this large white snake of light.
This light also encourages night time use of El Paseo for as many hours as people are willing to be there.
Other aspects of the intellectual impediments are to be described in each overlay that is rolled out and they represent some ideas given to us as well as ideas thought of within our group. These overlays have a very significant role to make sure the physical impediments are successful.
The overlays allow for less intrusive physical impediments like a 15 to 20 foot wire mesh fence because they act to protect the smaller physical impediments like a 6 foot glass wall screen. All these overlays would not directly protect this smaller physical impediment but it is the massive collection of overlay objects and layers of them that is part of an overall matrix of security that creates a better security environment than the existing border fence security matrix.
Many of the overlays are involved in simply putting and finding reasons and opportunities to bring people to the borderland. It is the mass of these overlays to creating people traffic and therefore occupation that is the competing philosophy over simply using physical fences to prevent illegal crossing of people.
That is why participation of colleges and schools from a University is representative of many components of society that can contribute to the success of El Paseo.
The vested interest in bringing theater, art, science, health sciences, engineering, language, education, business and many other disciplines to El Paseo is what will create success, occupation, and a great human experience. The lack of participation of these colleges and schools only undermines that long term vitality and vibrancy of El Paseo. It is all of society’s participation that brings El Paseo to the level of human experience and occupation never seen anywhere in the world and that will be a sight to see.
To make this possible, the overlays are those sectors of society that will adopt plans and reasons to participate in El Paseo. Some plans would be specific events while other plans are in the designing of El Paseo so that the overlay participation is daily.
These overlays are coordinated to work with other overlays and each overlay has a stake in the long term success of El Paseo as any other overlay.
The greater intensity and vibrancy of these overlays, their resonance will create the kind of measurable security which can overshadow the Homeland security overlay. This is the kind of results that are desired. It will always be welcomed to have a Homeland security overlay that is in the back ground while these other overlays create the kind of measurable security that is long lasting, creates its own tax base for supporting it, and is ultimately an evolving urban security network that will bring a human experience that people around the world may wish to visit and also an enjoy.
It may seem that the whole idea of El Paseo is too complicated to realize but it is not. Basic to getting there is the realization of what philosophy of security appeals to you. This philosophy is one of human occupation by the inclusion of many layers of players or many overlays. It is the belief that human experience and their need to be expressed are void along the border and that needs to change. It is the belief that the border fence is one dimension of continuous evolution of physical impediments and military like occupation that is inconsistent with free people in the long run. It is free people on both sides of the border that will come together and solve a problem that comes before them.
These beliefs and philosophy is in competition with what? What is it you believe that Homeland security or the Federal government is bringing or doing that gives real security?
The overlays are the adoption of people with similar interest such as art, science, humanities, technology, engineering, security, etc. It is the inclusion of these groups that make it easier to create the matrix of security that is proposed to be measurable. As a border city individual, you may loosely be part of an overlay and it is what you do that may also contribute to the overall success of El Paseo. Because the summation of individuals doing what they do can be very helpful along El Paseo. That is whether in their leisure time or working time.
The overlays are a concentrated energy of people in their interest group over a physical area; El Paseo. The overlays just focuses on doing the things people enjoy along physical area called out to be used for this overlay purpose.
If the border fence was never built, it may have been complacency that accepted being able to see some of Cd Juarez on the other side and seeing the river move along between both cities in certain areas. But as a credit to the change that brought the 15 to 20 foot wire mesh fence to the border, it has brought to the forefront that a change is needed that is driven locally.
A change in attitudes and vision of this area is now needed because all you have to do is imagine what it would look like in 100 years without real change. The vision that brought bordercommerce.com to its existence was a vision to compete with the idea of a border fence. It was not enough to be against the border fence so bordercommerce.com has attempted to argue for components of change that makes the need for the border fence and obsolete idea.
The work continues with the roll out of the individual overlays.
It is hoped that one day such a place as El Paseo or something like it will be part of both sides of the border that will bring jobs, be a place of beauty, and be the vibrant heart and soul of the El Paso / Cd Juarez metroplex.
