The "Ulaanbaatar - Regional Development" Forum was successfully held at the State Palace of Mongolia on March 14, 2024. At the Forum, scholars, researchers, representatives from the public and private sectors, and delegations from international organizations discussed optimal solutions for the regional development of Mongolia's capital city. The focus was on implementing these solutions through appropriate policy to tackle the challenges of over-concentration of the population and rectify past urban planning mistakes.

Governor Nyambaatar Khishigee highlighted Ulaanbaatar's dramatic population growth. The city had only 145 thousand residents in 1960, but that number skyrocketed to 600 thousand by 1992 and a staggering 1.7 million in 2024. This rapid increase has strained the city's infrastructure. Officials estimate that over 30 percent of people receiving medical services from Family Health Care Centers lack official registration. Additionally, more than 200,000 citizens live in the capital without official registration. The city's current infrastructure was designed for a much smaller scale. The 1976 General Plan of Ulaanbaatar City envisioned a road network for just 85 thousand vehicles. Today, 730 thousand vehicles are in Ulaanbaatar. Experts point to this population surge as a major factor behind the city's traffic congestion.

Due to the impracticability of moving settled citizens back to their rural areas, the main focus should be on capital city development through the zoning policy. From now on, all construction in Ulaanbaatar city will be to alleviate traffic congestion.

"The General Development Plan of Ulaanbaatar City until 2040 aims at defining urban expansion and residential areas. A legal framework is the key driver for resolving the capital's challenges. Therefore, the regional development of Ulaanbaatar and the restructuring of administrative units will increase the opportunities for khoroos [subdistricts] to solve their problems and improve access to public services. To disperse the high concentration of population in the city, we need to implement a coordinated policy along with the 21 aimags and deal with the issue together," Mayor Nyambaatar stressed.

The capital city, Ulaanbaatar, has 204 khoroos. Of these, 189 khoroos are located in six central districts, and 15 khoroos are in three districts on the outskirts of the capital. Due to these variations in population density, residents in some khoroos experience delays in accessing public services. The Revised Plan of Administrative and Territorial Units of Ulaanbaatar City proposes dividing the nine districts of the capital into 42 units. This change would ensure residents can access public services within 15-20 minutes. Additionally, it's expected to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare and state registration services, streamline land allocation processes, and decrease crime rates.

Translated by: Enkhjin Ganzorig