El-Arab is an informal settlement in Hurghada that was the focus area of an urban upgrading project for the Master's students of the department of Urban Development at the Technische Universität Berlin Campus El-Gouna. Its main target was to develop the physical and economic conditions. The goal was to highlight the different potentials of the area and propose solutions to the already existing challenges based on the identified potentials. Three components were found the fittest: physical upgrading, solid waste management and urban agriculture. Those topics were elaborated in different, yet interconnected projects. Accordingly all three projects interact and complete an integrative approach towards the improvement of living conditions and livelihoods in El-Arab.