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INCREMENTAL URBAN STRATEGY
from Becoming Urban
Under the current model, planning of the ger districts is done almost entirely under the auspices of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The ADB conceives and initiates redevelopment plans through collaborations with government bureaus, international consultants, and local partners. Following the approval of such projects in the Mongolian parliament, the ADB provides preferential loans to the government and assists with project implementation and coordination of different specialist consultant teams. The present, ADB-backed strategy for ger district development is to create four subcenters, with connections to high-speed bus routes and new infrastructure to support densification in the form of five- and six-story townhouses.142 The intention is to stimulate the housing market and assist developers by preparing the land for development. This includes confirming land exchange agreements with landowners, funding infrastructure, and negotiating preferential mortgage rates for consumers.
The ADB plan to improve housing is contingent on residents voluntarily exchanging their 500 to 700 square meter (5382 to 7534.7 square foot) plots of land for 37 to 42 square meter (398 to 452 square foot) apartments. Economic recession has meant income levels of ger districts are low—on average ₮1,157,500 ($406) per month 143 —while promised ‘low-interest’ mortgages for the housing are much higher than expected, at between 8 percent and 16.8 percent. This means that the success of the market-rate housing component of the ADB scheme is uncertain, which has put off developers. Even if successful, the tracts of housing currently planned for development at the Bayankhoshuu, Selbe, Dambadarjaa, and Denjiin subcenters will only provide capacity for approximately 12 percent of
All my life I have lived in a ger and only in the last decade or so, I have lived in a baishin. I struggled and struggled to reach this life. Wow! All my kids have grown up with their own families and are living comfortably. I worked very hard to raise my kids alone, but now, all is good.
Oyunchimeg Dunkher
