UC Irvine

This dissertation project examines the mobility of commerce and labor at the San Diego- Tijuana border. The dissertation tackles three interrelated topics. First, the dissertation analyzes the relationship between borders and the transportation and warehousing sector in San Diego- Tijuana with particular attention on the e-commerce sector. The border in this analysis is viewed both a line of demarcation as well as a malleable socio-legal construction that contributes to the accumulation of capital. Next, the dissertation analyzes what factors are driving urban development in the transportation and warehousing sector in San Diego-Tijuana. It is shown that factors such as increases in cross-border commercial traffic, changes in trade law, a shift to e- commerce in consumption patterns, investments in cross-border infrastructure, and supply chain contingencies are contributing to supply chain centered urban development in the region. Lastly, the dissertation analyzes the opportunities and constraints that transportation and warehousing workers have at their disposal to disrupt supply chains in the border region to make demands for better living conditions. Using Amazon and XPO Logistics facilities in the Otay Mesa border region of San Diego as illustrative cases it is argued that workers have power due to their position within larger production and distribution networks. However, workers lack power due to the precarious citizenship status of many of those who work in the transportation and warehousing sector.