This capstone project defines and explores the role that cultural resilience plays in the US-Mexico border at San Diego | Tijuana.  Through comparative case analyses of key arts and cultural initiatives in the region, this study proposes that cultural resilience fosters sustainable community development in a time of change.  The intention is to develop a cultural resilience framework so that community leaders in broader contexts can design initiatives with this frame of reference as a means of future scholarship. Ultimately, the research shows that cultural resilience is an increasingly relevant quality for community based initiatives to successfully and sustainably increase quality of life.