Parks Are the Kisses We Give Our Landscape

By Miguel Luna

When I think about parks, I don’t just think about land use or urban design. I think about relationships. I think about care. I think — strangely but sincerely — about a kiss.

A kiss is one of the simplest and most powerful gestures we offer one another. It’s tender. It's intentional. And it conveys a world of meaning without needing a single word. A kiss can heal, reassure, inspire, and unite. And in that sense, it reminds me of the very work we do with our parks and public spaces.

The Many Forms of a Kiss

There is the kiss of a parent — strong, crisp, and filled with certainty. It’s comforting, healing, and full of culture. That kiss, like the one I received from my mother, says you are loved, and you will be okay. It’s the kind of kiss we carry with us into adulthood, and the kind we hope to pass on to our children — the one that puts them to sleep soundly at night and sends them off into the world confidently each morning.

Then there’s the kiss of a friend — where trust is transferred, alliances are created, and loyalty is solidified. I think of the bonds I’ve built with people throughout the years — each of them a reminder that friendship, like land, is something to be cultivated with intention and care.

And of course, there’s the kiss of a lover — intimate, joyful, and full of unspoken understanding. In that kiss live acceptance, camaraderie, resilience, and the quiet power of being seen and held for who we are.

But no matter its form, a kiss carries this essential message:
I care about you — about where you’ve been, how you're doing today, and where you’re going tomorrow.

Public Spaces as Acts of Love

I believe parks and community spaces are the kisses we give our neighborhoods — the gestures of care we leave on the landscape itself. These aren’t just projects. They’re relationships.

When we create or reclaim a park, we’re saying:
You matter. You belong here. You deserve beauty, rest, connection, and joy.

We foster trust with the community. We build alliances with one another. We shape landscapes where families can grow, where neighbors can meet, where children can play safely — places that offer comfort today and hope for tomorrow.

Transferring Emotion Into the Land

Just like a kiss, a park is layered with feeling. It embodies presence. It transfers memory. It offers safety. And like all gestures of love, it leaves something behind — not just infrastructure but meaning.

Every tree planted, every bench installed, every mural painted is a note in the love letter we’re writing to our neighborhoods. These spaces hold the DNA of our intention. And that intention is powerful: it says we’re here, we care, and we will keep showing up.

Our Parks Are Our Heritage

They are the physical manifestations of our values, our priorities, our resilience, and our joy. They are how we say “thank you” to the past and “you are welcome here” to the future. They’re not just green spaces — they’re cultural inheritances.

Let’s keep building trust with every playground.
Let’s keep affirming dignity with every walking trail.
Let’s keep writing love stories in land and soil and shade.

Let’s keep kissing the land.

Because our parks are more than just places. They’re promises. And they’re ours to protect.