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“Community Beyond the Fence” is a 2019 student landscape-architecture proposal for Ulaanbaatar’s ger districts. Yantong Guo’s project, recognized with an American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Student Awards Honor Award in Residential Design, asks whether ordinary resource-collection points can become shared civic places. Its proposed sequence starts at a water kiosk, adds seasonal greenhouses, and then develops larger facilities for interaction and resource management. The award record presents a design concept, not a documented construction project: the sources do not establish that the interventions were built or that they produced measured social, environmental or economic outcomes.
The central idea is straightforward but consequential. A fence marks the edge of an individual plot; repeated activities just outside or across that edge could create opportunities to meet, exchange knowledge and manage resources collectively. In a ger district, where public infrastructure and formal gathering places can be limited, the proposal treats landscape intervention as a way to connect private compounds without erasing them.
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What is “Community Beyond the Fence”?
“Community Beyond the Fence—Community Building through Landscape Intervention Strategies in Ger Districts, Ulaanbaatar” is a design proposal by landscape-architecture student Yantong Guo at the University of Toronto. ASLA listed it among its 2019 Student Awards and gave it an Honor Award in Residential Design.
The project is situated in a typical ger-district setting in north Ulaanbaatar. Ger districts are low-density peripheral areas containing fenced plots with a mix of traditional gers and detached houses. The World Bank’s ger-area report describes the settlement pattern and the difficulties of extending services across it. Guo’s proposal responds to that spatial condition rather than replacing it with a conventional apartment-block model.
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Its phases are best understood as proposed interventions. The ASLA record does not confirm construction, operation, resident adoption or measured performance. Terms such as “resource loop,” “heat exchange” or “community building” therefore describe the project’s design intentions, not verified outcomes.
Why does the fence matter in a ger district?
The fence is both a physical boundary and a social question. Each plot can function as a self-contained household territory, while daily needs—collecting water, disposing of waste, growing food or finding a place for children to play—extend beyond that private line. The proposal asks how a sequence of small, strategically placed spaces might support contact without requiring residents to surrender control of their plots.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteService conditions make that question practical. The project narrative links limited heating and sewage services, pit latrines and coal burning with risks to soil, groundwater and air quality. Those are the proposal’s framing claims; they should not be read as a current citywide prevalence estimate. A 2021 study of social sustainability in Ulaanbaatar’s ger districts likewise emphasizes access and mobility issues, including public transport, street lighting and the conditions that shape whether residents can use streets and public spaces. Its findings provide context for why a nearby, legible gathering point could matter, but they do not evaluate Guo’s design.
In this setting, “beyond the fence” does not mean an undefined public realm. It means the narrow band of shared space where neighbors already have reasons to cross paths. Guo’s strategy is to strengthen that band incrementally, beginning with an existing destination rather than introducing a wholly new institution.
How do the three proposed phases work?
The sequence moves from an everyday stop, to productive landscape, to more involved shared infrastructure. Each step increases the amount of space, coordination and maintenance that residents would need to provide.
1. Turn the water kiosk into a communication gateway
The first phase places a seasonal gathering and seating area beside an existing water kiosk. A small test field is included, and where space allows, a meeting unit could also function as a public library. The design premise is that water collection already brings people to the same point at recurring times; adding shade, seating and a modest indoor or semi-indoor room could turn waiting into conversation.
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This is a low-threshold intervention. Residents do not need to join a new club or travel to a distant community center to encounter it. The kiosk remains a practical utility, while the adjacent landscape gives it a social role. The meeting unit could support informal exchanges, children’s reading or local information, but the proposal does not specify a staffing model, collection policy, opening hours or security arrangements. Those details would have to be resolved before construction.
A 2025 University of Waterloo thesis, Reparative Infrastructure: Reimagining Water Kiosks in Ulaanbaatar’s Ger Districts, also treats kiosks as potential social and spatial anchors. That work is a useful comparison for the kiosk-centered approach, based on literature review, secondary data and remote site analysis; it is not evidence that Guo’s project was implemented.
2. Use greenhouses to soften plot boundaries and support growing
The second phase introduces two greenhouse conditions: a summer greenhouse near a courtyard entrance and a winter greenhouse beside a house. Their placement is important. One sits at a threshold where people enter a shared or semi-shared space; the other is close to domestic life. Together they are intended to make the edge between household and neighborhood more permeable.
Growing gives residents a reason to visit at different times rather than only when collecting water. The proposal also imagines greenhouse cultivation and heat exchange as components of a neighborhood resource system. These are design intentions, not established technical results. The award record does not provide energy modelling, crop yields, thermal measurements, structural specifications or evidence that greenhouse heat exchange would reduce coal use. Nor does it establish that human waste could safely be treated and used as fertilizer. Any real project would require engineering, public-health review and operating protocols before such a loop could be approved.
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Seasonality is a strength and a constraint. A summer greenhouse could support outdoor activity during warmer months, while a winter greenhouse might offer a protected place when cold limits street life. Yet winter operation in Ulaanbaatar would involve significant questions about insulation, snow loads, heating, ventilation, water access and maintenance. The proposal raises those questions; it does not answer them with a tested system.
3. Add shared facilities for interaction and resource handling
The final phase is more elaborate. The ASLA jury summary describes structures intended to support interaction among adults and children while addressing waste and water. Guo’s proposal also includes shared infrastructure that neighbors could build and manage together.
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This stage broadens the project from social contact to collective stewardship. Facilities for sorting, storing or treating resources could make environmental responsibilities visible, while spaces for adults and children would provide reasons to remain and participate. But the governance burden rises sharply. Residents would need agreements about who contributes labor or money, who has access, how conflicts are handled, and what happens when equipment fails. A construction plan would also need to separate potable water, greywater, stormwater and any sanitation-related flows, with health and environmental approvals appropriate to the system.
How do the phases compare?
| Phase | Primary setting | Social opportunity | Seasonal dependence | Shared-space demand | Key unresolved requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water-kiosk gateway | Existing kiosk and adjacent seating | Conversation during routine water collection; possible library or meeting use | Seasonal seating is proposed, but the kiosk remains an everyday destination | Low to moderate | Space allocation, opening and security arrangements, and local management |
| Greenhouses | Courtyard entrance and beside a house | Growing, learning and repeated visits across household boundaries | High; summer and winter conditions are treated differently | Moderate | Structural, thermal, water, crop and maintenance planning |
| Shared facilities | Neighborhood resource and gathering areas | Adult and child interaction plus collective resource handling | Depends on the facility and operating season | High | Construction responsibility, health safeguards, funding and long-term governance |
The progression is therefore not simply a list of amenities. It is a progression in commitment: first co-presence at a place people already use, then shared cultivation, then shared infrastructure that requires formal rules.
Can a water kiosk really become a community space?
It can become a useful social anchor if the design protects the kiosk’s primary function and makes waiting comfortable, visible and safe. The proposal’s logic is strongest where it builds on an existing routine instead of assuming that residents will create a new routine from scratch.
However, a kiosk is not automatically a neutral meeting place. Queues, winter exposure, poor lighting, limited room and conflicts over access can discourage lingering. The 2021 research on access and mobility in ger districts is relevant here: public transport, street conditions and lighting influence who can reach and use shared spaces. A built version of the proposal would need accessible paths, drainage, snow clearance, lighting and clear separation between people waiting for water and people using a meeting or library room.
Ownership also matters. If the kiosk is operated by a utility or municipality, adding seating or a building may require permissions that differ from those for a private plot. If residents manage it, they need a durable mechanism for cleaning, repairs and opening the space. The design can make interaction more likely; it cannot substitute for an institution that keeps the place functioning.
What role do the greenhouses play beyond food production?
In the proposal, greenhouses are boundary devices as much as growing structures. Their entrances and transparent walls can make activity visible across a plot edge, giving neighbors a reason to stop, teach, exchange seeds or coordinate care. That visibility could help turn a private courtyard threshold into a shared neighborhood reference point.
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Yet productive landscapes are labor-intensive. Someone must decide what is grown, who receives it, how water is allocated and how tools are stored. A winter greenhouse may require more energy and technical attention than a summer structure. If those demands fall on a small number of residents, the greenhouse could become a burden rather than a commons. A responsible implementation plan would begin with a management agreement, a water and energy budget, and a maintenance schedule, then select crops and construction systems that match those limits.
What does related research say about participation and incremental upgrading?
Research around Ulaanbaatar supports the importance of participation but does not validate this specific proposal. A 2021 Land study on community perceptions of urban-park establishment examines residents’ possible contributions, including tree planting, park facilities and maintenance. It is useful for framing participation as a design and governance question: people may support improvements, but the form and level of contribution cannot be assumed.
The University of Hong Kong’s Rural Urban Framework describes incremental approaches to ger-settlement upgrading that combine infrastructure, housing and community facilities. It also notes the difficulty of implementing development projects. That context reinforces the value of phasing, while warning that a compelling spatial concept still depends on land arrangements, service coordination, finance and local institutions.
These sources suggest a practical distinction. Participation in a workshop or planting day is not the same as long-term responsibility for a water system, greenhouse or sanitation facility. The proposal’s later phases would need deeper agreements than its first phase, and those agreements should be developed before construction rather than inferred from enthusiasm at an early consultation.
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- Map the existing routine. Identify who uses the kiosk, at what times, how long queues last, where people stand in winter and which paths remain passable after rain or snow.
- Confirm land and service authority. Establish whether the kiosk edge, courtyard entrance and proposed greenhouse sites are public, communal or privately controlled, and obtain approvals from the relevant service providers.
- Design for climate and access. Address wind, snow, freeze-thaw cycles, drainage, lighting, seating height, child safety and mobility access. A seasonal gathering space should be usable in the conditions in which residents actually wait.
- Separate resource systems. Keep drinking water, greywater, stormwater and sanitation flows distinct in drawings and operating procedures. Any reuse of waste requires public-health and environmental safeguards; it should never be treated as automatically safe.
- Set a maintenance contract or community agreement. Name the people or organizations responsible for cleaning, repairs, keys, greenhouse care, waste handling and dispute resolution. Include a plan for funding replacement parts.
- Phase construction around learning. A kiosk-side seating area can provide an opportunity to learn what residents use before committing to larger greenhouse or resource facilities. Document decisions and revise the next phase accordingly, without claiming that the original proposal has been proven.
For construction professionals, the project’s most transferable lesson is not a particular greenhouse detail or building shape. It is the sequencing of investment: reinforce an existing everyday destination, test the social and operational conditions, then add infrastructure only when shared management is credible.
What does “community beyond the fence” ultimately mean?
The phrase describes a design ambition: connect separate household plots through places where daily necessities, cultivation and resource care can be shared. Guo’s proposal offers a clear spatial narrative from water kiosk to greenhouse to communal facility, and it makes the fence visible as a design problem rather than an obstacle to be ignored.
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Its limits are equally important. The ASLA record does not document a built project, resident surveys of this design, technical testing or measured environmental gains. The proposal should therefore be read as a framework for asking better questions about location, access, climate, participation and governance. Whether it could work in a particular ger district would depend on those local answers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was “Community Beyond the Fence” ever built in Ulaanbaatar?
The available ASLA award record identifies it as a student design proposal and does not document construction, operation or measured outcomes. It should not be described as a completed neighborhood project.
Why begin community design at a water kiosk instead of a park?
A kiosk is an existing daily destination, so a small seating or meeting addition could meet people where a routine already occurs. That reduces the need to create an entirely new destination, although access, queuing, winter comfort and management still have to be addressed.
What approvals would a real greenhouse-and-resource system need?
Requirements would depend on land ownership and the systems proposed, but a real project would typically need permissions for site use, structural and snow-load review, water and sanitation separation, and public-health or environmental safeguards for any waste treatment or reuse. The concept drawings do not establish those approvals.
How is this proposal different from ordinary neighborhood beautification?
Its phases tie social space to recurring resource practices: collecting water, growing plants and handling water or waste. The aim is not only visual improvement but a sequence of shared activities that could make neighbors responsible for a place together.
