Geographic Conditions of Sustainable Development of the City of Ulaanbaatar

Abstract

The sustainable development of Ulaanbaatar is closely connected with the solution of issues caused by negative environmental impacts. The findings obtained as part of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research project, a review of the literature and reference materials, and an expeditionary survey revealed the problems and prospects of the natural resource supply of the territory and the need to change the socioeconomic and geoecological situation in Ulaanbaatar. The methodology of an integrated approach, covering socioeconomic, climatic, landscape-geochemical, and water-ecological studies, enabled us to identify the heterogeneity of the suburbanized space, the risks of sociodemographic development, water supply, air pollution and soil cover, which have an adverse impact on the social and economic development of the territory. The process of expanding the suburban area of Ulaanbaatar differs from similar processes in the cities and agglomerations of Russia and Europe and is more similar to the formation of slums in the cities of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The suburban yurt zones being created in Ulaanbaatar do not have any transport or social or engineering infrastructure, and residents suffer from diseases caused by environmental pollution and coal heating. The sustainable development of Ulaanbaatar and the surrounding area requires the development of a scheme for monitoring natural and anthropogenic changes, improving the protection system, optimizing the use of natural resources, and improving the system of settlement and management of urban areas.