ABSTRACT
Border-city pairs can be seen as gateways connecting markets in different countries. Goods, traders, tourists and shoppers traverse international boundaries, creating cross-border economies fluctuating with changing price differentials, exchange rates and transaction costs. Among many interactions, cross-border shopping is one of the most noticeable, with economic and spatial consequences for border twins. It is a modality of market interactions distinct from those occurring further inside national boundaries, impacting mainly in downtown districts. Gubin and Guben form a border-city pair on the banks of the Neisse River, marking the Polish–German border. In 2013, Gubin's population was 20,049, and Guben's 21,800. In fact, cross-border openness is clearly asymmetrical in Gubin/Guben, with Polish businesses being more open than German equivalents in Guben. Ambos Nogales is united by numerous factors. According to the 2010 US Census, about 95% of Nogales, Arizona, residents had Mexican ancestry and almost 42% were foreign-born, mostly from Northwest Mexico.
