The Forgotten Properties Beneath

In real estate, one of the most overlooked truths is that infrastructure doesn’t just connect places—it sets the tone for land values. Roads, railways, and flyovers can uplift communities, but they can also scar them. While we often highlight success stories of connectivity and rising land prices, we rarely talk about the properties literally left in the shadows—those beneath the massive concrete of flyovers or hemmed in by elevated rail lines.

Take Avenida in Manila, once a vibrant commercial strip. When the LRT was built above it, property values and foot traffic shifted. Shops beneath lost visibility, natural light, and the pedestrian-friendly atmosphere that once defined the street. Avenida became a cautionary tale: infrastructure designed to move people efficiently can also suffocate the economic life of the properties directly below.

This isn’t uniquely Filipino. In the United States, elevated highways built in the mid-20th century devastated entire neighborhoods—cutting off communities and dragging down property values. The Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco famously blighted the waterfront until it was demolished after the 1989 earthquake, paving the way for a renaissance. In Bangkok, properties beneath the BTS Skytrain’s concrete pillars show mixed outcomes—prime areas benefit, but others languish in perpetual gloom.

The Uneven Weight of Progress

There’s a popular rumor of an exclusive village along EDSA whose homeowners rallied for the MRT to go underground, citing privacy. I don’t personally support that narrative—but it does underscore something real or possible hidden agenda: infrastructure can depress land values. It’s not always about privacy; sometimes it’s about noise, pollution, or the physical barrier it creates.

The reality is uneven. Some parcels appreciate; others stagnate or decline. And when eminent domain powers are exercised—when government takes private land for public use—it should never favor one class over another. It should not displace informal settlers while bowing to the demands of the elite. True infrastructure planning means the burdens and benefits are shared, socially justified, and transparent.

When Infrastructure Contributes Instead of Consumes

Infrastructure doesn’t always have to leave scars. The Seoul Cheonggyecheon Restoration transformed what was once an elevated highway into a green linear park that revived surrounding land values and reconnected communities. Even closer to home, Bonifacio Global City’s underground utilities for flood control show that foresight can align infrastructure with livability.

But let’s be honest: in the Philippines, that kind of foresight often feels far from reality. Instead of carefully integrated infrastructure, we face headlines of corruption scandals, substandard works, and worse—ghost projects. It is here that the tragedy deepens: when not only do flyovers and railways depress land below, but the very promise of progress is stolen.

Progress Without Shadows

Flyovers and trains don’t just shape mobility—they reshape property values, communities, and even lives. The question is whether we build in a way that elevates everyone or one that displaces some and privileges others. If eminent domain and infrastructure development were truly exercised with fairness, accountability, and vision, infrastructure would not just cut through the city—it would contribute to its fabric.