Manshiet Nasser, Egypt’s largest slum, is one of many examples of unsustainable and marginalising urban development. The complexity and dynamism of contemporary urbanisation processes are reflected in the contradictory nature of the formal and informal economy of extreme poverty and “bourgeoisisation” projects, and of good practices and environmental risks. The out-of-control hyper-urbanisation of megacities Manshiet Nasser (Munsha’ at Nāṣir), with its 1.5 million inhabitants, is among the largest slums in the entire Middle East region and the 4th largest in