A Study on the Process of Opening Private Gardens - Focusing on the Korean Private Garden System -

This study explored the process of opening private gardens to the public using grounded theory. In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 garden owners, and the collected data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. A paradigmatic model of the garden-opening process was developed. The results revealed that causal conditions (policy recommendations, personal accomplishments, and expectations of support) and contextual conditions (garden characteristics, family attitudes, community atmosphere, and local government involvement) shape central phenomena (positive experiences such as attachment and pride, and ambivalent experiences such as increased visitation and fatigue due to evaluation). Intervening factors, such as local government support, garden-related networks, and individual personality, influence garden owners’ strategies (e.g., switching to paid services, pre-registration, program operation and product sales, and linking with community development projects). These strategies resulted in positive outcomes for garden owners, including an expanded sense of identity, social recognition, and community solidarity. However, challenges remain: management challenges and visitor fatigue. These categories ultimately converge into the core category of “the process of publicizing private space.” This suggests that garden opening should be viewed not simply as a matter of individual choice, but as a dynamic social process where private space is transformed into a public resource, a process requiring balanced coordination among garden owners. While this study has limitations in that it examines a single case study of Korea’s private garden system, further analysis of similar cases both domestically and internationally could lead to meaningful research findings from the perspective of publicizing private space. Furthermore, this study is significant in that it provides data reflecting the voices of those on the ground, given the rapid growth of private gardens since their institutionalization. Examining concrete responses in the field after institutionalization will not only enable evaluation of the system but also provide valuable insights for implementing similar policies in the future.