• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.1-12
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• 2015

This study explores urban gardening and garden culture in residential area as an everydayness that has been overlooked during the modern period urbanization and investigates the meaning and value of urban gardening from the perspective of urban formations and growth in spontaneous urban residential area, Haebangchon. The result identified that urban gardening as a meaning of contemporary culture is a new clue to improving the urban physical environment and changing the lives and community network of residents. Haebangchon is one of the few remaining spontaneous habitations in Seoul, and was created as a temporary unlicensed shantytown in 1940s. It became the representative habitation for common people in downtown Seoul through the revitalization of the 60s and the local reform through self-sustaining redevelopment projects during the 70s through the 90s. This area still contains the image of times during the 50s to the 60s, the 70s to the 80s and present, with the percentage of long-term stay residents high. Within this context, the site is divided into third quarters, and the research undertaken by observation and investigation to determine characteristics of urban gardening as an everydayness. It can be said that urban gardening and garden culture in Haebangchon is a unique location culture that has accumulated in the crevices of the physical condition and culture of life. These places are an expression of resident's desires that seeking out nature and gardening as revealed in densely-populated areas and the grounds of practical acting and participating in care and cultivation. It forms a unique, indigenous local landscape as an accumulation of everyday life of residents. Urban gardens in detached home has retained the original function of the dwelling and the garden, or 'madang', and takes on the characteristic of public space through the sharing of a public nature as well as semi-private spatial characteristic. Also, urban gardens including small kitchen garden and flowerpots that appear in the narrow streets provide pleasure as a part of nature that blossoms in narrow alley and functions as a public garden for exchanging with neighbors by sharing produce. This paper provides the concept of redefining the relationship between the private-public area that occurs between outside spaces that are cut off in a modern city.