[Dailyan = Reporter Yoo Jin-sang] The Hwaseong Special Administrative City announced that it will recruit participants for the “Hwaseong Special Garden (Citizen Participation Garden)” from the 15th to the 31st.
The “Hwaseong Special Garden (Citizen Participation Garden)” is a participatory garden culture project where designated garden areas within Dongtan Yeoul Park are opened to citizens, allowing teams to create and manage gardens. Ranging from 9 to 12 square meters, these gardens are set in key areas of the city’s parks and represent an initiative to extend the vision of the “Botanic Garden Hwaseong” to everyday living areas.
Teams or groups of 4 to 10 people interested in garden creation can participate, and family units are also welcome. Not only Hwaseong citizens but also students, workers, companies, and groups with ties to the city can apply. Selected teams will receive basic materials necessary for garden creation, such as annual plants and planting tools. They will tend to the garden, named after the team, for a year, observing seasonal changes. This also connects to the citizen-participatory operational model of the “Botanic Garden Hwaseong.”
Applications can be submitted through the city’s website or via a Naver QR code, by submitting an application form and a personal information consent form. Selected teams will have pre-briefing sessions early next year and then create gardens at the site. The created gardens will be open to the public for a certain period, and the city plans to provide support like replanting based on seasonal growth conditions.
Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun stated, “Gardens created by citizens breathe life and character into urban spaces,” expressing hope that this project, along with the “Botanic Garden Hwaseong,” will be a starting point for citizen-led garden culture to spread throughout the city. He urged active participation.