How FES helped me rethink Mongolia’s newest city

By Odbayar, Head of the Governor’s Office, Agro-City Special Economic Zone, Mongolia

I sincerely thank the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) for allowing me to participate in its Political Management Training (PMT) on Sustainable Urban Development, held 30 April – 5 May in Da Nang, Viet Nam.

As a board member of SDY Mongolia, an organization committed to developing future social democratic leaders, I’ve been preparing myself for public service and policymaking. This training came at the perfect moment, both for my personal growth and for the work we are beginning back home.

I still remember stepping out of Da Nang airport into the city’s heavy, humid air in late April. But this was more than a professional trip: I had questions. How do other countries design cities that truly work for people? What can Mongolia learn?

At PMT, I joined 35 young leaders from 13 Asia-Pacific countries. We came from different cities, climates, and political systems, but we all shared one mission: to build cities that care not only about infrastructure, but also about daily life, fairness, and dignity.

Back home, I serve as the head of the Governor’s Office of the Agro-City Special Economic Zone, a satellite city under the Municipality of Ulaanbaatar. We’ve been given the rare opportunity to design a new urban area entirely from scratch. Just days before I left for Viet Nam, we launched the tender for our city’s master plan.

The timing was perfect.

The first thing I unlearned at PMT was the idea that cities are just roads and buildings. Cities are built from people and their priorities.

We explored systems thinking, where housing, transport, food, and energy aren’t separate “departments,” but deeply interconnected aspects of daily life. We went “urban backpacking” through Da Nang, meeting planners, activists, and street vendors who brought urban policy to life.

One moment we were at a planning institute discussing social inclusion. Later that day, we were in a crowded market, talking to women who run small food stalls—largely invisible, but essential to the city’s economy. For me, that was the heart of the training: seeing the human face of urban policy.

Throughout the week, I had powerful conversations with peers from across the region. We spoke different languages and came from different lived experiences, but we shared one core belief: Good policy must begin with empathy.

It was also a chance to introduce Mongolia; not only our challenges but also our strengths. I shared stories of how FES Mongolia has supported democratic dialogue and youth engagement, especially in rural areas. Many were surprised to hear about our digital governance initiatives.

When I returned to Ulaanbaatar, my notebook was full and my perspective had changed. I saw Agro-City not just as a development project, but as a chance to reset how we approach urban planning.

And that’s exactly what we’re doing:

• We’re embedding public participation early, welcoming farmers, youth, and residents into the design process before anything is built.
• We’re seeing the city as a living system, not just a land-use diagram.
• We’re exploring green mobility and ensuring infrastructure supports local livelihoods.

I have stayed in touch with peers I met in Viet Nam. Our WhatsApp group still buzzes with updates, questions, and shared drafts, from Indonesia to Bangladesh to New Zealand.

PMT taught me that urban planning is political work. It demands listening, balancing, and sometimes letting go of “expert” assumptions to make space for community wisdom.

Most of all, it reminded me why I do this work: not for blueprints, but for people.

As Agro-City moves from paper to progress, I carry with me the questions, stories, and lessons from Da Nang—and the belief that a city’s true strength lies in how well it cares for those who call it home.