Fight for future — Saving The National Amusement Park of Ulaanbaatar
What are talking about here?
We are talking about the what we call “The National Amusement Park” (The park) which is located in the heart of Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. In fact, we are talking about the future of the park’s land or what’s left of the original land. Since it’s opening in 1965, The park (see image 1) has been the only large-scale, open-space recreational and amusement center for Ulaanbaatarians until the opening of National Garden Park across Tuul River, which is still under development. Due to its proximity to the downtown, the park’s land has always attracted businesses, understandably. The prime example is Shangri-La and hotel and residential complex (the poshest hotel probably in the country) which was built at the northwest corner of the original land in 2016 (see image 2).
It is an established fact that city parks play a vital role in the social, economic, and physical well-being of the cities around the world and their residents. Learn more about why they matter HERE.
Image 1. The National Amusement Park pictured in 2004
Image 2: Satellite images of the park in 2004 and 2019
What’s at stake here?
We have a reason to believe that every UB residents are about to lose the remaining land of the park. Whoever “owns” the land has some grand plan to populate the land with serviced apartments, hotels and building (we will mostly likely end up with ugly buildings and parking lots) under the façade of eco village of some sort. Although to be fair, the project actually looks interesting and might well be worth implementing but definitely not on already diminished park’s land — de facto central park of whole Ulaanbaatar.
Because the land in discussion has not been well maintained and basically become a garbage dump over the years, some people are saying or arguing that it might better to have something (businesses or services) rather than nothing. I argue that’s a shortsighted view — just because it hasn’t been maintained properly over the years, doesn’t mean it needs to be “developed” right away with buildings and parking lots. Even if we don’t develop the park properly in the near future, we must keep the land as it is and leave it for our children — next generation to develop into an ideal park when the time comes. We owe it to them!
What’s happening?
Many on social media recently started talking about the park land and its future using #ПаркааАваръя #ПаркааАвчҮлдье #SavePark and the sentiment is gaining support and momentum day by day. There is Facebook group dedicated to this effort and Change.org petition has been launched. Also there has been few attempts to organize and mobilize community to this worthy cause. Please join the Facebook group and sign the petition and use the hashtags: #ПаркааАваръя #ПаркааАвчҮлдье #SavePark.
What needs to be done?
Since we established that it is indeed a worthy cause — a battle worth fighting for, we need to keep the MOMENTUM going and gain as much public support as possible. We must continue our activism and raise more awareness in the public by any means necessary (within the law of course).
Politicians and policy makers are turning deaf ears to us to this development and so we need to mobilize/activate more people to create a bigger momentum to get the attention of those in the Parliament and municipal offices before it’s too late.
The ownership issues
The issue of ownership (who owns which part of the land) is another important point. However, I will neither try to discuss nor explore because my position on the issue is very clear: all I want is a open space park and recreation area at the heat of beloved Ulaanbaatar regardless of who owns the land. Now, if those (private business or not) who own the land wants turn the land into shopping malls and parking lots, state should probably reclaim the land by force if necessary and reimburse the owner for the sake of city residents, public and future generation of people who are entitled enjoy the park.
