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002J63 Executive Summary This report is the result of the BorderLink 2000 Program, an applied summer research project on the topic ofTijuana's Alamar Riverl and its potential as a site for an urban river park. The Alamar River is located in the northeast part of Tijuana, Baja California, and is a major tributary to the Tijuana River. Faculty and students of the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California (UABC, Ensenada and Tijuana campuses), San Diego State University (SDSU), and Arizona State University (ASU) conducted field research and participated in the writing of this study at the invitation of Tijuana's municipal planning agency. Assumptions The primary assumptions of the study were as follows: . Even though projects, such as channelizing the Tijuana River downstream from the Alamar River, have brought immediate economic and other benefits to the city and its residents, this economic development has occurred at the expense of the natural environment and has negative long-term impacts on Tijuana and downstream areas in the United States. . The limiting factor to future economic development in the Alamar River region is the availability and functionality of natural capital, or life supporting services provided by the natural environment. These services are clean water, clean air, green spaces, groundwater recharge, flood control, soil erosion control, and so forth (Hawken, Lovins and Lovins 1999: 9). . Many of the natural capital services performed by the rivers in Southern and Baja California, including the Alamar River, have been undervalued in terms of estimating the economic benefits these services provide to residents of Tijuana and the region. . Population growth, poorly planned urban expansion, illegal discharges of pollutants, and trash are the primary causes of the loss of natural capital in the Alamar River Corridor. All must be addressed to assure a sustainable development for the Alamar River region and for Tijuana as a whole. . The creation of an urban river park in the Alamar River Corridor will emphasize the economic, environmental, and social benefits of river restoration and, consequently, the natural capital services the river provides to the City of Tijuana. Restoration should provide for a sustainable balance between the needs of people and the natural environment. . An urban river park will allow Tijuana residents to interact with and learn about the region's vast and varied biodiversity in river habitats. The park will be a source of city identity and pride, as seen in the cases of San Antonio, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and elsewhere around the world. I Within a geomorphology perspective the Alamar River would probably be labeled as a creek, not a river. Hence scientists often refer to the Alamar River as the Arroyo Alamar or the Alamar Creek. We have chosen to use the term river because the term "Alamar River" is the common name or title utilized by Tijuana's residents.