Urban development project set to upgrade informal settlement of Istable Antar

In an attempt to upgrade the impoverished settlement of Istable Antar, a team of researchers from the Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design (ISUD) programme at Ain Shams University have begun a project that will transform the area into a cultural hub, with potentially huge implications for the its residents and the local economy.

Presently, if you had a medical emergency in the informal Cairo settlement of Istable Antar, an ambulance would not be able to perform a rescue operation as the streets are too narrow for vehicle entry.

The informal settlement is situated between a cliff-top and the highway of the Ring Road, and in the event of transporting an urgent case to the hospital, residents would have to carry the person in need of intensive care down the elevated area, cross the highway, and either flag down a micro bus or a taxi.