Project News

To provide on-the-job trainings to higher authorities in Mongolian counterparts, the first study tour took place from October 4th to October 9th, 2010 (six days and five nights).

Eight members were selected and participated in the study tour - they were the State Secretary of Ministry of Road, Transport, Construction and Urban Development (MRTCUD), the Director of MRTCUD, the Deputy Director of Administration of Land Affairs, Construction, Geodesy and Cartography (ALACGaC, an agency under MRTCUD), the Chief Architect of Construction, Urban Development and Planning Department Ulaanbaatar City Department, the Director of Urban Development Policy Department, the Head of Legal Affair Department, the Director of Land Department, and the Director of Mongolian Urban Development Association. They visited Tokyo, Asahikawa, and Sapporo during the said tour.

This study tour aimed to acquaint the participants with the contents and importance of this project, as well as urban development methods in Japan which will be applied to Ulaanbaatar. The detailed objectives are as follows:

• to learn urban redevelopment projects, especially the land readjustment and reconstruction of old apartments in Japan through site visits and lectures by government officials/experts and project implementation bodies;
• to learn methodologies on urban development and housing and infrastructure development in cold region;
• to learn public-private partnership (PPP) schemes for urban development projects;
• to raise their awareness through good examples in Japan and help utilize the learned techniques in Ulaanbaatar; and
• to interact with Japanese technical experts (technological and friendship exchange).

The participants visited and observed the redevelopment project sites of Roppongi Hills and Akihabara in Tokyo. In Hokkaido, They toured development project sites in and around Asashikawa, including Minami-machi apartment reconstruction area, and Sapporo, such as the urban redevelopment project sites at Sapporo and Kotoni stations.

During a technical exchange seminar in Asahikawa, the participants learned construction techniques in cold region and also got an opportunity to introduce the situation of urban development in Ulaanbaatar. At each seminar and site visit, all the participants intently listened to lectures and explanations, and actively asked questions. The showed an admirable attitude and genuine appreciation of their learning which inspired them to make it imperative for them to solve issues in Ulaanbaatar. Moreover, what they learned in the study tour certainly became an asset in the project.

The feedbacks from the participants were favorable, and this brought many findings to the JICA Project Team. Since the start of the study tour, all the counterparts have actively involved in the project and established better relationships with the JICA Project Team. By exchanging opinions during the study tour, the JICA Project Team learned that the counterparts were interested in not only the redevelopment project itself, but also in the organizational structure of a redevelopment project and the roles of stakeholders. These will be new topics to learn.