Challenges of Internal Migration and Urban Development in Mongolia
When I was interning at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in Geneva in 2012, Head of my department proposed me to publish an article about housing challenges in Mongolia. And I accepted the request with an open arm. Here is my article published in “Vital Space”.
CHALLENGES OF INTERNAL MIGRATION AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN MONGOLIA
Javkhlan Bayarsaikhan started her 3- month internship with the UNECE Housing and Land Management Unit in April. Her responsibilities include assisting in organizing the forum “Recovery, Sustainability, and Evolution: Perspectives on the Real Estate Economy”, the review of the Country Profile on Ukraine, and other emerging tasks. She is from Mongolia and currently taking up a Master’s degree in International Business Management at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland. She has worked for several international organizations, such as the European Commission in Switzerland and World Bank in Mongolia. She also has a working experience in the private sector in U.S.A and Singapore. Being born and raised in Mongolia is a privilege and at the same time a huge responsibility because you are representing a country with proud history, rich culture, nomadic legacy, and pristine nature. Beyond these, Mongolia has become the spot for the 21st century “California Gold Rush” in Asia and the next hot investment destination with its billions of dollars’ worth of untapped mineral deposits. Mongolia’s economy grew by 17.3 percent last year, thus becoming the fastest-growing economy in the world.3 This economic growth, stimulated mainly by the mineral resources such as coal, copper, gold and uranium, is anticipated to continue at double digit rates in the coming years4 . However, growth does not always happen along a straight line. We are facing many economic, social and environmental challenges.
The capital city of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, is the coldest capital city in the world.5 In the winter temperatures average from -10C to -30C and at night it often falls to -40C6 . It is the largest city in Mongolia and home to nearly 40 percent of the country’s population.7 Its economy generates more than 60 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) The difficulties brought about by the transition from a centrally planned economy to a free market, as well as series of severe winters, have resulted in a large-scale migration of herders bringing with them their gers (Mongolian for nomadic tents). They moved from the countryside to the city in search of better living conditions and job opportunities. This rural-urban migration pattern has accelerated the growth of ger areas in cities.
In Ulaanbaatar more than 60 percent8 of its population lives in the ger areas. In spite of this, these areas are regarded only as temporary settlements and therefore, not properly considered in the city’s development programmes. Sustainable development of ger areas in Ulaanbaatar is a critical problem. Ulaanbaatar’s ger areas lack modern infrastructure services.9 Nearly none are linked to a central heating system; 85 percent of the ger residents use wood or coal-burning stove for heating. Very few have access to pipes that supply drinking or hot water so they have to obtain water at public water kiosks. Less than 30 percent of the ger residents have access to sanitation, which causes widespread pollution of groundwater.
Poor urban services have resulted in environmental deprivation, such as air pollution. Ulaanbaatar ranks high among the most polluted cities. According to World Health Organization standards, its “harmful dust” is 6–7 times higher than what the guidelines allow. Air quality is poor because of a number of reasons, including pollution due to power plants, industry, domestic heating and transport. The poor air quality poses health risks, which is evident by the growing number of children suffering from respiratory diseases and hepatitis. The Government and development partners have started taking action on the conditions of the ger areas through cadaster implementation, and provision of energy-efficient low-pressure boiler stoves and water kiosk networks. However, a sustainable solution is to replace the ger areas into apartment building complexes. Ulaanbaatar needs good governance to provide apartments at an affordable cost. This would require improving mortgage financing in the banking sector and developing effective real estate markets with appropriate procedures for defining prices for private land transactions. Converting ger areas into apartment building complexes would need heavy investment so it might take some time to make this happen. As a citizen of Mongolia, I feel it is a responsibility to contribute to the transformation of our capital city into a healthy and safe environment I see my internship in the UNECE’s Housing and Land Management unit as the preliminary preparation for my intent to contribute to Mongolia’s brighter future and bring bigger impact to its development.
July 2012 by Javkhlan Bayarsaikhan
Link: https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/VitalSpaces/Vital_Spaces_Year_05_-_Issue_1.pdf
