ULAANBAATAR, June 24, 2016 -The World Bank report titled Land Administration and Management in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, was completed and publicly released sixteen months ago in February 2015. The purpose of this important report was to assess how land is managed in Mongolia’s largest city, home to nearly half of the country’s population. The report covered the institutions governing land management, the means of managing urban expansion, and the potential for land as a source of revenue, among other topics. The study was one of many that have been produced since the 1990s, in cooperation with successive city administrations, on topics including energy, air pollution, and city finances. These studies are paid for by the World Bank’s own resources.
To draw attention to the cost of allocating land at prices below market values, the report included several estimates of foregone revenues stemming from those practices. Three different estimates, using three different sets of assumptions, were presented. The study provides a detailed explanation of the methods, the assumptions underlying each of the estimates, the data sources used for the computations, and the reasons that certain assumptions were adopted. Such transparency ensures that the estimates can be easily replicated. The full report is available in both English and Mongolian on our website.
Our intention in producing the study on Land Administration and Management was to stimulate public discussion on land management practices, and to propose concrete policy recommendations for improvements, all of which can be found in the report. As in cities around the world, land management in the capital city plays a pivotal role in the country’s development and in the lives of the city’s residents. We hope that the study continues to stimulate debate on how to manage Ulaanbaatar’s land, and that reforms continue for managing those resources strategically, efficiently, and fairly.