Low-Carbon Housing for 35,000 Residents of Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

200K

TONs OF CO₂ EMIssIONs REdUCEd ANNUAllY

Inhabitants 1.54 million

GdP per capita $5,653

Geographic area 4,704 km²

ThE ChAllENGE

Residents in Ulaanbaatar living in ger areas often lack access to critical public infrastructure and rely on heavily-polluting and inefficient coal-based heating.

CO-BENEFITs

health

Improved wastewater collection will reduce health risks from pollution and the project will contribute to improving air quality, reducing currently high rates of respiratory illnesses.

social

Up to 35,000 people will obtain affordable housing and public spaces with adequate provision of clean water, waste management facilities, and heating.

Environmental

The project will reduce air pollution and increase energy efficiency through a shift in heating sources, and improve environmental conditions by reducing pit latrines and wastewater discharge, creating more livable urban areas.

low-Carbon housing for 35,000 residents of Ulaanbaatar

A housing project in Mongolia’s capital aims to provide lowcarbon homes for residents of the city’s peri-urban areas and hopes to inspire future development.

This large-scale demonstration initiative will focus on the development of 10,000 affordable housing units equipped with rooftop solar panels, better insulation, and improved connectivity to the central energy grid, water supply, and sanitation services. The housing will be contained within a new, resilient eco district.

The Green Affordable Housing Project, running until 2027, focuses on improving the lives of inhabitants who currently live in Ulaanbaatar’s ger and peri-urban areas. The traditional yurt settlements are vulnerable to climate change and are hot spots for GHG emissions and air pollution in the city due to the use of inefficient coal stoves.

Insulation and the use of a central grid supply will reduce demand for heating, while also increasing energy efficiency. PV solar panels will supply zero-emission electricity, and pollution will be further reduced with the installation of modern toilet facilities. The new housing will also feature smart monitoring systems, grey water recycling, and rainwater harvesting, and long-term debt financing will be made available to incentivize participation in the low-carbon housing market and provision of affordable green mortgages.

The project has a budget of $570 million, and is partly financed by $175 million in loans and $53 million in grants from ADB and the Green Climate Fund.

low-carbon homes. By moving away from coal-based heating and providing connections to urban infrastructure networks, this project hopes to reduce air and soil pollution (photo by Project Implementation Unit, Municipality of Ulaanbaatar City).