'Garden Festa 2.0' rolls out across Greater Seoul new towns

The Garden Festa program takes place Friday at complexes 37 and 38 in Incheon Geomdan. [Korea Land and Housing Corporation]
The Garden Festa program takes place Friday at complexes 37 and 38 in Incheon Geomdan. [Korea Land and Housing Corporation]

The Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) announced Friday that it is running Garden Festa 2.0, a resident-led garden culture program at its apartment complexes.

Garden Festa 2.0 brings together residents of all ages — children, young adults and seniors — to tend and beautify the outdoor landscaped spaces within their apartment complexes, fostering communication and community across generations.

The program launched last year at three complexes, including Pyeongtaek Godeok 2 and Hwaseong Namyang New Town 20, drawing strong interest and participation from residents. A satisfaction survey at two of those complexes found that about 92 percent of respondents gave positive ratings on average.

This year's Garden Festa 2.0 kicked off at Goyang Janghang 1 complex in July and will run through November at Incheon Geomdan complexes 37 and 38, Hwaseong Dongtan 2 complex 38 and Pyeongtaek Godeok 12 complex, among others. All are representative second-generation new towns in the Greater Seoul area.

On Thursday, complexes 37 and 38 in Incheon Geomdan hosted a session called "My Neighborhood, Making Tree Friends," aimed at children of residents. The children designated a tree within the complex as their personal "tree friend," learning to care for it and connect with nature at the community facility.

On Friday, the same complexes held an aromatherapy gardening session for elderly residents. Participants learned about herb plants that can be easily grown at home and shared tips on incorporating wellness practices into daily life.

"We hope these activities, in which residents take an active role, will strengthen bonds between neighbors and serve as an opportunity to build a shared residential culture," an LH official said. "We will continue to develop a variety of nature-centered participatory programs to create a living environment that residents can truly feel the difference in."


hss@heraldcorp.com