Spring in Ulaanbaatar: Three Headaches the Snow Was Hiding

Winter is over; the smog has lifted—but what's emerged from the melting snow isn't pretty. In this edition of Little State Mural: Mongolia Updated, Anand breaks down the three issues currently plaguing Mongolia's capital city.First: the kiosks are back. After the city decommissioned over a thousand street stalls last year, Prime Minister Uchral's speech about his "Chuluulye" business liberation initiative gave vendors the go-ahead they needed to reclaim the streets.Second: the e-bikes. Injuries from scooters and e-bikes have surged from 50 in 2022 to nearly 3,000 by 2025. The city isn't keeping pace with the world, and rules for new tech can be slow, but they are there. But enforcement is another story.And third, Mayor Nyambaatar, who wants to build the 39-kilometer ring road expressway through the city—across the Tuul River—despite protests, environmental concerns have lost the battle. Prime Minister Uchral issued an order to halt the construction of this mega project until further notice, a rare win for the people, but is it permanent?