The Ulaanbaatar Mayor’s Office and Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST) organized a joint discussion session for ger area redevelopment and road projects last Thursday. Over 50 academicians exchanged opinions about the urban planning and land management of the capital with Deputy Ulaanbaatar Mayor P.Bayarkhuu, Head of the Ulaanbaatar Ger District Infrastructure Office Ch.Batbileg, Deputy Head of the Ulaanbaatar Road Development Office B.Indra, Head of the Ulaanbaatar Traffic Control Center D.Odbayar, Deputy Head of the Ulaanbaatar Public Transportation Office Kh.Bulgan, Director of MUST B.Ochirbat, professor at the School of Construction Engineering and Architecture of MUST D.Baasandorj, associate producer at MUST’s School of Humanities B.Tungalagtamir.  The discussion session covered four key topics, which are:

• An infrastructure project to introduce partial and independent engineering supply in the middle section of ger areas
• Development plans for the Eastern Central Intersection and railway tunnel
• Solution for decentralized waste management
• Counterplan for reducing air pollution in Ulaanbaatar

Deputy Mayor P.Bayarkhuu introduced that the meeting was arranged to bring scientific solutions to upcoming development projects in Ulaanbaatar. He asked experts if building many footbridges and multi-level intersections were ideal for tackling traffic considering that most countries avoid such solutions. He added, “There are 149 traffic lights in Ulaanbaatar right now. This is insufficient. Ulaanbaatar has a road spanning 857.9 kilometers, but traffic lights in only 30 percent of the road are functioning properly. We must regulate traffic light operations, resolve intersection and junction issues, and make necessary rearrangements as the inconsistent distance between traffic lights and pedestrian crossing are blocking traffic flow and causing congestion.” The deputy mayor stressed the need to provide better living conditions for ger area residents and initiated to reform ger areas as a whole. He plans to meet with other specialists to get ideas on ways to improve public transportation, urban planning, and land management issues. MUST Director B.Ochirbat stated, “We, researchers and academicians, don’t know much about the challenges the city administrations are facing and the countermeasures they’re taking. Our school’s scientists and researchers can assist their efforts to resolve city problems by sharing their knowledge and research works. I’m happy to notify that it’s fully possible to con­tinue this discussion and work together in specific areas in a more formal, organized and responsible manner.” Around 80 percent of ger area residents are interested in getting their engineering system changed and continue living in their current residence rather than exchanging their land for a two or three-room apartment, as shown in a survey conducted by the Ulaanbaatar Ger District Infrastructure Office. Based on the result of the survey, Head of the office Ch.Batbileg believes that building an Infrastructure Service Center is the best solution for eliminating air and soil pollution in ger areas and creating a comfortable living condition for residents. “The Infrastructure Service Center can be independent or partial depending on the land features and current engineering and infrastructure systems, and as for its scope, it will have the capacity to meet the needs of 200 to 300 households. The project can be carried out with public and private investments,” he said. Deputy Head of the Ulaanbaatar Road Development Office B.Indra introduced projects scheduled for 2018. He stated, “The road density of Ulaanbaatar is 0.22 kilometers of road per square kilometers, which is 26.3 to 50 times lower than the density of 25 cities in Atlanta, capital city of Georgia in the USA, where the road density ranges between 5.8 kilometers of road per square kilometers and 11.1 kilometers of road per square kilometers. The extremely little amount of road network is the main cause of traffic in Ulaanbaatar.” “The Project to Build Large Bridges at Road Intersections Connected to Railway Tracks has been included in the 2016-2020 Ulaanbaatar Mayor’s Action Plan. A study showed that implementing the project will be socially and economically beneficial as the traffic movement along Peace Avenue and Ikh Toiruu will no longer overlap, allowing us to regulate their traffic flow separately, provide smoother road passage for drivers and passengers, shorten the duration of travel, save fuel, and reduce vehicle emissions.”