Guro-gu held a neighborhood garden planting event Wednesday in the Gochok 1-dong area, bringing together community gardeners and residents to transform underused spaces into green areas.
The event was organized to revitalize idle spaces as gardens and promote a gardening culture throughout the district.
About 30 people attended, including Guro-gu District Mayor Jang In-hong, community gardeners, heads of local civic organizations and neighborhood residents.
The site — the No. 3 village courtyard in Gochok 1-dong — was planted with seven varieties, including burning bush, panicle hydrangea and garden roses, converting a spot previously prone to illegal dumping into a green space for residents to enjoy.
Launched last year, Guro-gu's "Woori Dongne Maeul Jeongwon" (neighborhood community garden) project is a resident-led, locally tailored initiative. Community gardeners take part in every stage — from garden design and planting to selecting species suited to the area and ongoing maintenance.
The district expects the newly created garden to serve as a resting and gathering place for residents while also helping establish a culture of everyday gardening rooted in community participation.
The district also plans to designate community gardeners as official garden managers to ensure continued upkeep, and intends to expand the project next year by developing more neighborhood gardens.
"The neighborhood community garden project is deeply meaningful because residents' voluntary participation has improved both the quality of life and the urban landscape in the area," District Mayor Jang said. "We will continue to expand resident-centered green spaces throughout the community."
Guro-gu's community gardeners are graduates of a gardening support center's community gardener training program. They completed two months of coursework and hands-on practice covering garden fundamentals, plant cultivation and management, and pest control. The district runs a regular education program to develop skilled volunteers and sustain ongoing resident participation.
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