Ger Districts in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: Housing and Living Condition Surveys

Mongolia has been facing an onslaught of rural migration to the urban areas with negative consequences. Traditionally the country's economy was based on a survival livestock herding. Nowadays, the country's economic prospects are bright due to rich and abundant mineral deposits. Some researchers believe Mongolia will be the next Dubai. However, the general panorama of the country is not completely brilliant. In Mongolia's growing cities migrants have erected rural nomadic felt tents, known as a ger. The traditional ger are sustainable structures very well adapted for a nomadic society but, when they are located in high-density, unplanned, informal settlements they create many issues. These informal urban areas lack sanitation, adequate vehicular access and other basic services. The traditional use of wood and coal for heating contributes to heavy air pollution, especially in winter. This paper presents some of the findings of more than 100 householder surveys, held in the summer of 2011, related to housing conditions in four informal Ger districts of Ulaanbaatar. This paper describes some aspects of ger households, discusses how quickly the Ger districts are growing and explains their relation to the increasing problems of the city. Finally it concludes how Mongolia needs to develop and grow according with sustainable parameters or its pristine nature and cultural values such as the vernacular architecture will be lost.