Ali Al Yousif

Trespassing on the Public Domain

It all started about fve years ago when they took away the cars. We
already knew that cheap electricity and running water were a thing of the
past, but we never thought the cars would go. I mean, how would we even
get around? I live in Al-Adailiya and work in Kuwait City; thats more than an
hour long walk, how about in the summer? Of course they said we wouldnt
have to walk, and that public transportation buses would do the job; but they
didnt, not even close. The fact of the matter was that Kuwait was having
serious trouble surviving the global climate shift; there was a lot of pressure
from the UN for Kuwait to signifcantly reduce its CO2 emissions, and getting
rid of the cars was the only way.
Initially, the government said that everyone could live exactly as they
used to, only substituting private cars with public buses. And for a while we
really did try that; but it simply didnt work. The buses were few, the stations
were crowded, the drivers were late, and so fnally people had enough. It was
too much of a hassle. The residents of each district began exploring their
immediate surroundings; they didnt want to travel long distances; they
wanted to fnd all basic amenities close to their homes.
People tried fnding work around where they lived; some even built
small extensions to their houses and used them as work places. Countless
home-based businesses began popping up, the most successful specializing
in door to door delivery. Of course, because there were no cars, large wagons
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Ali Al Yousif

usually pulled by buggies or bikes were used to move the products around;
this meant that each of these businesses could only cover one residential
district, if not only part of it. Transportation routes contracted. People started
moving within their districts, rarely having to cross from one to another.
As I said, I live in Al-Adailiya. Our house, where my parents and a
couple of my siblings also live, is on one of the main streets of the district. To
understand what happened next you have to know that this street was quite
busy when cars were around. And its very large too; it has three car lanes
going in each direction, with a wide paved sidewalk in between. As cars were
being removed from service, this road, like all others, became emptier and
emptier. For the traffic it ended up having: pedestrians, cyclists, wagons, and
the occasional bus, it was enormously oversized: a waste of space.
This continued until one day someone decided to place a few stands on
the street to sell groceries to the neighborhood. This business became very
popular for a few days, before it was removed by the authorities for what
they called trespassing on the public domain. But since travelling large
distances was now difficult, people liked the idea of establishing their work
places on the street in front of their houses. Soon, many other stands,
shacks, sheds, tents, and an unlimited variety of small home-made
structures started trespassing on the street. Of course many of these were
also removed by the authorities, but even more were installed. It became

Ali Al Yousif

clear that these structures were here to stay, and that people were taking
over the public domain.
On the lifeless asphalt roads a new life began taking root. At frst, it
was only temporary structures, built from corrugated metal or scrap wood,
that were installed on the roads and sidewalks. Most of these structures were
used for retail. Groceries, home supplies, hardware, footwear, clothes,
electronics, jewelry, books, office supplies, furniture, and every other type of
product was being showcased in these amateurish structures. In a matter of
months, the empty main street became a vibrant commercial strip for the
whole residential district of Al-Adailiya.
Because these home-made constructions developed spontaneously,
there were no agreed upon rules or zoning regulations to organize them. For
example, while some people decided to place their outlet on the sidewalk,
others preferred the streets. And while some made sure to erect durable
structures, others built what the slightest wind could topple. I remember our
neighbor the architect said it was, A deplorable descent into Dharavi-like
anarchy, a naively nostalgic resurrection of Kuwaits pre-oil laissez-faire city
planning attitude, and a clear disjunction from culture capable of threatening
Kuwaits neo-progressivist aspirations!
I wasnt sure what that meant, but he wasnt happy at all, so it wasnt
good. He even once actually tried to convince the street vendors to move
and adjust their structures according to his grand concept for the street; his
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designs included color coding schemes and designated corners for social
intercourse. Needless to say, his good intentions were ignored.
Of course this wild evolution of street life didnt proceed without
governmental objection. There were many official threats from the
authorities, warning that if these structures were not removed, governmental
vehicles would be sent to forcefully clear the area. But that didnt happen; in
fact, once people realized that the government would probably not interfere
with force, more permanent constructions started to appear.
After the frst wave of retail outlets, came a second wave of service
shops. Barber shops, Womens saloons, tailoring shops, dry-cleaning shops,
restaurants, cafs, small gyms, electronics repair shops, and even a few
buildings that were rented as office space took their place in the street.
These structures were built just as haphazardly, but with more durable
materials; concrete blocks or clay bricks were most common to build the
walls, while corrugated metal sheets were used to create roofs.
By now, the street in front of our house was cluttered with these
random additions. And as successful as these additions were in generating
commercial activity and revenue for the inhabitants of the residential district,
it was also clear that it has become uncontrollable. Questions like: who has
the right to build on this street?, How large should each building be?,
Where should these buildings be located? were being angrily asked and
found no answer. It reached a point when some parts of the street were
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congested with so many new structures that buses couldnt pass through;
unfortunately, this meant that fre trucks couldnt pass either.
It all ended with a fre. Standing on our houses rooftop, I could barely
see the blazing structure on the other end of the street, a carpeting
workshop that had been installed a few weeks back. Initially, the fre trucks
couldnt reach it. More than an hour passed until enough things were moved
aside to allow the fre trucks through. Thankfully, no one got hurt, but the
government had had enough. Large unsympathetic vehicles were sent the
next day and cleared the whole area. Now that I look back, it almost feels like
I dream. First the street was empty, then it was full of every kind of business
and every kind of makeshift structure there was, and now its empty again.
But Ill always remember the year 2026; its when the street in front of our
house came to life.