Transition of the Post‐Nomadic Districts of Ulaanbaatar

ABSTRACT This study presents the contemporary transition of the post‐nomadic settlements of Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar, between 2006 and 2019, focusing on their transition from suburban ger districts to a variety of irregular urban spaces. In case studies focused on transforming micro‐districts, we find a situation that the middle class benefits at the cost of lower‐class displacement is merely one of the possibilities in the mosaic of urban transitions, not the dominant one. This paper analyzes neglected forms of agency realized by local populations which, even in precarious positions, can impact transition dynamics and are not merely a replaced population, as classically defined by Western gentrification processes. The presented case studies allow us to answer the question: Does post‐nomadic neighborhood transformation fall under the universal framework of urban transition, or can we find alternative scenarios for these dynamics?