Seoul Resident-Participatory Box & Rooftop Garden Program
Seoul, South Korea · Operator: Seoul Metropolitan Government and district (gu) offices
Overview
A city-wide network of resident-participatory box and community gardens on rooftops, leftover urban gaps and schools, expanded under Seoul's urban-agriculture policy launched in earnest in 2012. Supported by city and district subsidies, the number of gardens grew from about 100 to more than 1,600.
Citizen participation
Residents of apartment complexes and neighbours jointly tend box gardens (sangja-teotbat) and shared plots set up on building rooftops, leftover gaps between buildings and schools. Groups apply to district offices, which fund 80–100% of the initial installation cost, and the gardening strengthens ties among residents.
Operating model
Run by Seoul city and its districts as urban-agriculture policy. A public-subsidy model in which city and district offices cover most of the installation cost (80–100%) and provide professional support, while resident groups and complexes manage day-to-day operations.
Impact
Over seven years urban-garden area expanded to about 170 hectares, helping rebuild community ties among apartment residents; it also connects to biodiversity and pollinator efforts such as beekeeping on City Hall's rooftop.
Land tenure
Rooftops of public buildings and spaces in complexes and schools used by resident groups for gardening under city/district licences and subsidies.
Crops
- vegetables
- herbs
Scale
City-wide program: urban vegetable gardens grew from about 100 (2012) to more than 1,600; 264 sites created including building rooftops and schools, with around 80 rooftop gardens totalling about 5,817 m²
Sources（2）
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
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