Collaborative GIS for sustainable waste management: the case of Ulaanbaatar in 3R4UB

The paper is included in the international project “The 3Rs for a sustainable use of naturalresources in Ulaanbaatar - 3R4UB”, which develops an innovative method to enhance collabo-ration between citizens and public authorities in sustainable waste management. Ulaanbaatar(UB), the capital of Mongolia, faces serious challenges due to rapid urbanisation and fragment-ed planning that lacks tools to integrate social, environmental, and infrastructural dynamics.The city is divided into three areas: the planned city (Soviet legacy), the spontaneous city (theinformal settlements of the “gher”), and the city in transition (between planned and sponta -neous city).The research proposes the “Ulaanbaatar Spatial Sustainable Waste Management” (UBSWM)approach, which includes spatialising data and information based on GIS tools. The combi -nation of quantitative data (e.g., the number of infrastructures and waste streams) and qual-itative data (photographic reportage and awareness-raising strategies in schools) facilitated amulti-scalar narrative of urban dynamics, enhancing the cultural diversity of UB. The resultsobtained, including an open-access platform on ArcGIS StoryMaps, offer a replicable model toaddress the challenges of sustainable waste management in similar urban contexts, promotingcollaborative planning of more sustainable and equitable public spaces. The study is guided bythe research question: How can a spatial and collaborative GIS-based approach support cir-cular and sustainable waste management in transitional urban contexts such as Ulaanbaatar?