Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides the locational or spatial dimension to bear on their analyses of development in Ciudad Juarez. It explores variation among households based on how they intersect with the city's economy. The book analyzes patterns of urban growth in Cd. Juarez not only in terms of the interaction of land use patterns with the natural environment but also in terms of changing national cultures and the border's role in those processes. It examines the basic land use and residential structure of the city, including the issue of services to the colonias and explains the impact on Juarez households of women's participation in the maquiladora work force. The book focuses on labor and trade plus tourism to examine the foreign orientation of the economy of Cd. Juarez.