Founded 385 years ago in the Altan Tevsh Valley, the capital of Mongolia—where hearths once stood side by side—is now poised to completely transform its appearance nearly 400 years later.
For decades, the image of the national capital has been inseparably associated with felt gers and ger districts. Efforts to replace ger areas with apartment housing intensified in the 1950s, when the 40,000 and 50,000-unit neighborhoods were built with Chinese assistance, followed by the construction of Sansar and Unur residential districts with Soviet support. These projects introduced modern buildings equipped with engineering infrastructure. However, this pace of development failed to keep up with population growth and rural-to-urban migration, leading into the 1990s.
By the year 2000, Ulaanbaatar had been planned for a population of just over 400,000. Today, however, the city’s population has reached 1.7 million. As a result, air pollution, traffic congestion, energy shortages, and water accessibility have become major challenges, turning the capital’s difficulties into a shared concern for all Mongolians. This is understandable: solving the problems of the capital would effectively improve the living conditions of more than 50 percent of the country’s population.
From the very beginning in the 1950s, efforts to modernize and urbanize the capital involved relocating ger district households, clearing land, and constructing multi-story apartment buildings. This process is vividly depicted in the film “Aman Khuur”, which shows residents resisting relocation and the story of the elderly man Sonom, who remarks, “They’re demolishing it quite nicely,” only to be scolded by his wife. That story continues today under the name “Ger Area Redevelopment,” but it has now evolved into an entirely new form—one that emphasizes public participation and aims to transform traditional ger settlements into affordable, energy-efficient, healthy, safe, and comfortable eco-friendly apartment neighborhoods.
In the first phase, eco-friendly residential complexes comprising 750 apartment units will be built on 8 hectares of cleared ger area land in the 9th khoroo of Songinokhairkhan District and the 19th khoroo of Bayanzurkh District in Ulaanbaatar. Even a glance at the project plans reveals a completely new urban image. The development is distinctive in that it brings elements of so-called “luxury” housing estates—recently built in areas such as Nukht and Zaisan—into these locations.
Construction has begun on new residential neighborhoods that can be described as high-end, featuring minimal heat loss, the use of solar energy, spacious layouts, and modern design. Most importantly, the developments are planned so that all essential services are located close to residents’ homes, creating a highly convenient and livable urban environment.
Modern Urban Planning Policy Enters a New Stage
Simply put, a new urban planning approach aims to ensure that regardless of where a city resident lives, they can meet their daily needs and easily access basic social and public services within 20 minutes of leaving their home.
On average, a person can walk about 400 meters in five minutes. Within a five-minute walking distance, there should be facilities such as a pharmacy, children’s playground, e-government service center, and a small public park. Within 10 minutes, residents should be able to reach kindergartens, primary schools, dental clinics, sports facilities, and banking services. Within a 15-minute distance—or a 1.2-kilometer radius—there should be cultural and entertainment venues, schools, and shopping centers. Finally, at the farthest planned distance of 20 minutes, workplaces, police stations, and hospitals should be located. This is considered the most balanced and appropriate urban planning model.
This new approach to city planning can be understood as a comprehensive plan designed to create neighborhoods that integrate housing and workplaces, allowing residents to walk to work and services while remaining environmentally friendly. Importantly, environmental friendliness in this concept goes beyond simply planting trees or growing flowers. This broader understanding of sustainability has been fully embedded into the master plan. Internationally, this approach is known as the “New Urbanism” movement.
The “New Urbanism” Movement
The traffic congestion and gridlock experienced by Mongolians today were challenges that many other countries faced long ago. One of the key solutions that helped them overcome congestion—while also fulfilling the dream of widespread homeownership—was the New Urbanism movement. New Urbanism has enabled districts in capital cities around the world to develop with city-level status. Although its benefits vary by context, research shows that it reduces household expenses, improves public health, and increases social engagement.
Time once wasted sitting in traffic between home and work can instead be spent with family, exercising, or simply walking outdoors. In short, New Urbanism emphasizes well-designed private spaces alongside optimal public spaces.
Car-Centered Planning Is Outdated
The New Urbanism movement is now being introduced in Mongolia through urban redevelopment. Supporters believe this approach has the potential to fundamentally update how Mongolians perceive urban life. Redevelopment policies offer major advantages by addressing zoning and spatial challenges in cities. One key principle is decentralizing government institutions—so that citizens no longer need to go to the state, but rather the state comes closer to the citizens.
Administrative centers will be developed together with supporting infrastructure such as sports complexes, libraries, and community centers, using architectural designs adapted to local conditions. Under the new urban planning policy, the core strategy of ongoing development is to reduce traffic congestion by encouraging walking, cycling, and public transportation.
By increasing the supply of housing, planners hope to eliminate ger districts, end the use of polluting fuels, and curb excessive urban concentration. A decision has already been made to redevelop densely populated peripheral areas of Ulaanbaatar into six sub-centers, and construction work in these sub-centers has begun.
Redevelopment plans include creating safe streets, green spaces, and healthier land use. These projects align with smart urbanization principles and aim to promote healthy lifestyles and revive friendly, traditional neighborhood relationships. In my view, these ideas will help restore a sense of community that has long been forgotten and create an urban ecology rooted in green development.
Big Ideas
Within the redevelopment areas, plans are in place to build housing for 10,000 households. Residents affected by redevelopment will temporarily relocate to transitional housing and move into their new apartments once construction is completed. Due to the need to ensure smooth land clearance, this temporary housing model will continue to be applied.
Based on the six sub-centers, plans are underway to commission a total of 31,000 green housing units. As the first step in this initiative, construction has begun on affordable green housing in the Bayankhoshuu and Sharkhad sub-centers.
These apartments are notable for adopting the international green building certification system known as the EDGE standard. Green housing built to this standard minimizes heat loss and is designed to reduce water and energy consumption by 20 percent.
Since emerging from caves, humans have built shelters using natural materials that were simple in form and readily available. One can imagine early Homo sapiens holding stone, clay, grass, and wood as their first building materials. These abundant and widely available materials remain essential even today in the construction of private homes. As people began to build permanent dwellings, they formed settlements, which eventually became the earliest cities.
Cities have been conquered, destroyed, and reduced to ruins throughout history, yet new cities have continually emerged—larger, more populated, and more expansive than before. As human consciousness evolved, cities too transformed and adapted, continuously driving progress and development.
Source:Mongoliin Unen Newspaper, No. 036 (24615)