Addressing Mongolia’s Urban Housing Challenge
Mongolia has experienced unprecedented urbanization over the past two decades, with both rapid multi-story housing development and expansion of traditional ger districts, which now house approximately 50% of the urban population. While these districts provide settlement options for rural-to-urban migrants, they face significant challenges including high poverty rates, substandard housing, and inadequate infrastructure—resulting in air and soil pollution, poor mobility, and reduced quality of life.
A new World Bank report co-authored by Miyamoto’s Olivia Nielsen, “Reimagining Mongolia’s Ger Districts: A Blueprint for Green, Resilient and Affordable Housing in Mongolia,” examines the environmental, social, and economic disparities between households in formal urban areas and those in ger districts, with particular focus on the secondary cities of Darkhan and Erdenet.
Proactive Solutions for Secondary Cities
These secondary cities present a valuable opportunity to address housing disparities before they replicate the severe challenges faced in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. The study identifies four practical solutions to help ger households invest in housing that is:
- Resilient to Mongolia’s extreme climate conditions
- Energy-efficient to reduce pollution and utility costs
- Affordable and financeable for residents
- Designed to improve overall livability and social cohesion
Creating a Sustainable Housing Blueprint
The report emphasizes the critical need to upgrade, build, and densify houses and neighborhoods in ger districts to meet resilience standards and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Key focus areas include:
- Improving construction quality and building standards
- Enhancing energy efficiency to reduce coal consumption and pollution
- Expanding access to basic infrastructure services
- Enabling residents to obtain property certificates to facilitate access to housing finance
- Increasing financial inclusion and economic stability
These findings and recommendations serve as a blueprint for Mongolian policymakers working to improve access to green, resilient, and affordable housing, ultimately creating more equitable urban environments across the country.
About the Report
“Reimagining Mongolia’s Ger Districts: A Blueprint for Green, Resilient and Affordable Housing in Mongolia” was authored by Dao H. Harrison, Olivia Nielsen, Emile Fremont, and Pallavi Sengupta, and published by the World Bank Group in December 2024.
