One of my fond memories of Green Island when I was little is riding the quadricycles (the family ones with 4 seats and a canopy for shade) along the winding paths, pedalling as fast as I could while the sea stretched out beside me. Some paths were uneven, while others dipped just enough to send us pedalling faster, laughing as we picked up speed. We’d race down the small slopes, only to brake suddenly at the very edge. There’s something wonderfully retro about Green Island, a reminder of a different era of Kuwait when simple pleasures like a bicycle ride, an evening walk, getting delightfully lost, were enough to make a place unforgettable. News that it may be demolished or redeveloped has prompted understandable discussion about tourism, investment, and the future of Kuwait’s waterfront. Cities evolve, and public spaces inevitably change with them which is understandable. The more difficult question is whether development can acknowledge what already exists, not only in concrete and infrastructure, but in collective memory. There is a tendency to think of …