Estate developments anchored on transport hubs

The pulse of cities beats strongest in their transport hubs, where the constant tide of movement defines the rhythm of urban life.

Once regarded solely as conduits for transit, these centers of activity are now shaping entire communities. They have evolved into the foundations of estate developments, driving progress and elevating how people live in connected environments.

The global city model

Around the world, transport-integrated estates reveal the profound influence of mobility on urban form.

In Hong Kong, the MTR has woven residential towers, offices, and shopping complexes directly into its stations, placing daily essentials within minutes of travel. Tokyo’s districts of Shinjuku and Shibuya thrive as dynamic hubs where rail networks converge with retail landmarks, entertainment, and cultural attractions.

London’s King’s Cross has been reimagined into a flourishing district combining education, business, and leisure, all rooted in its transport spine.

Once a declining rail yard, London’s King’s Cross has been reimagined into a flourishing district combining education, business, and leisure, all rooted in its transport spine. These developments show how the strategic joining of transit and real estate generates lasting urban vitality.

Philippine pioneering efforts

The Makati central business district had set the original benchmark for integration long before new estates—weaving together workplaces, commercial centers, and transport access in a cohesive urban fabric.

This global pattern finds resonance in the Philippines, where Ayala Land has spearheaded transport-oriented estates. Arca South in Taguig embodies forward-looking urban design, planned around the future Metro Manila Subway and the South Intermodal Transport System. Vertis North in Quezon City reflects the same vision, standing beside MRT-3 and directly linked to the North Triangle Common Station that will connect several railway lines.

Concentrating offices, residential towers, and retail establishments around transit allows cities to optimize land efficiency in dense districts. (DOTR)

From Makati’s early precedent to today’s emerging estates, Ayala Land illustrates how projects can anticipate infrastructure, establishing growth districts that evolve with the city’s expanding networks.

Urban growth advantages

The impact of these estates extends to the development of metropolitan areas. It influences how these urban regions grow and evolve.

Concentrating offices, residential towers, and retail establishments around transit allows cities to optimize land efficiency in dense districts.

These nodes attract global companies, educational institutions, and retail anchors eager to operate where accessibility drives performance. Reliance on private cars decreases as people embrace convenient public systems.

With national undertakings such as the Metro Manila Subway and the North-South Commuter Railway underway, Ayala Land’s estates complement these efforts, multiplying their economic and social impact.

Shinjuku in Tokyo thrives as dynamic hub where rail networks converge with retail landmarks, entertainment, and cultural attractions.

Through this interplay, transport and real estate reinforce each other, positioning these estates as catalysts for sustained urban vitality, shaping investment confidence, encouraging balanced land use, and setting a precedent for smarter metropolitan planning.

Lifestyle advantages for communities

The advantages extend beyond mobility for residents. Walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods allow work, leisure, and home life to unfold quickly.

Reducing commute times leads to several significant benefits. It gives individuals more time to engage in healthy routines, such as exercise or preparing nutritious meals. Shorter commutes also foster more quality time to spend with loved ones, helping reduce stress and fatigue.

Transport-integrated developments offer more than simple solutions to mobility challenges.

Streets and public spaces become animated with activity, while curated retail and cultural destinations nurture a sense of belonging and identity. In these settings, convenience and vitality combine to shape places where communities thrive.

This integration transforms estates from functional clusters into inspiring districts that people identify with and proudly call home.

Shaping future-ready cities

As Philippine cities continue to densify, the role of transport-anchored estates grows in importance.

Ayala Land’s pioneering efforts demonstrate how private developers can align with national mobility projects to create a lasting impact. These estates embody resilience, adaptability, and inclusivity, essential for future-ready urban centers.

Transport-integrated developments offer more than simple solutions to mobility challenges. They establish the framework for a thriving city life where economic opportunity and human experience converge in one connected vision.

Source: Inquirer

Manila ranks 5th globally in Q2 luxury home price growth

Prime residential prices in Manila rose by 9.1% year on year in the second quarter, ranking the Philippine capital fifth among global cities for price growth, according to the latest edition of Knight Frank’s Prime Global Cities Index (PGCI).

This represents a slowdown from the 26% year-on-year surge recorded in the same period last year, when Manila topped the global rankings.

The PGCI is a valuation-based index that monitors prime residential price movements in 46 cities worldwide, using data from Knight Frank’s global research network. It measures nominal prices in local currency.

Year on year, Manila’s prime residential price growth trailed only Seoul (25.2%), Tokyo (16.3%), Dubai (15.8%), and Bengaluru (10.2%), but outperformed Mumbai (8.7%), Bangkok (7.1%), Madrid (6.4%), Nairobi (5.6%), and Zurich (5.4%).

Manila’s prime residential prices grew faster in April-June than the 1.6% decline recorded in the first quarter.

Over the past five years, Manila ranked among the top markets in terms of real estate price growth at 77.5%, behind only Tokyo (120%), Dubai (107%), Seoul (80.9%), and Miami (80.3%).

Manila’s five-year price growth also outpaced that of Los Angeles (56%), Christchurch (43.9%), Gold Coast (34.2%), Shanghai (32.8%), and San Francisco (32.6%).

“Emerging hotspots like Manila and Christchurch highlight increasing investor appetite in secondary cities,” Knight Frank said.

“Asian cities continue to lead the rankings, but with less vigor than in previous quarters,” it added.

Manila’s prime residential prices also outpaced the 2.3% global price growth in the second quarter.

“We’re seeing a more fragmented market, with some European cities showing surprising strength while former high-flyers in Asia begin to level off,” Liam Bailey, global head of research at Knight Frank, was quoted as saying in the report.

Another analyst commenting on the report, Joey Roi H. Bondoc, director and head of research at Colliers Philippines, said strong demand for units amid limited supply may be helping support Manila’s prime residential market.

“The upper luxury, ultra-luxury segments continue to outperform other market segments, especially the mid-income segment, because the latter is very sensitive to mortgage rates,” he said.

“On the other hand, luxury buyers are awash with cash. If they don’t have the cash right now, probably they sell one or two of their units and then buy another luxury unit.”

The luxury residential segment — typically valued at P20 million and above — has only 3% remaining inventory of ready-for-occupancy units, far below the 32% inventory recorded in the lower middle-income segment, Colliers said in its Second Quarter Property Market Report.

“By prime residential prices, they may be referring to newly launched luxury condominiums in the Core Central Business Districts of Makati, BGC (Bonifacio Global City) and Ortigas. These constitute a very small percentage of the total condominium supply in the market, but are the highest priced units,” Roy Amado L. Golez, Jr., director of research and consultancy at Leechiu Property Consultants, said.

In the coming months, Mr. Bondoc expects more property developers to pivot toward the luxury residential segment.

“More developers will become more prudent when it comes to their launches, but they will cater to the luxury market… so, the share of luxury in the total new launches in Metro Manila will continue to increase,” he added.

“I would tend to think that inflation, interest rates and other factors such as financing and the sourcing of high-end luxury materials will continue to nudge pricing upwards,” Mr. Golez also said.

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Source: Business World

Infrastructure spending rebounds in June

State spending on infrastructure bounced back in June, as disbursements for public works projects resumed after the election ban was lifted in early May, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.

In its latest disbursement report on Thursday, the DBM reported that expenditure on infrastructure and other capital outlays increased by 6.5% to P148.8 billion in June from P139.7 billion in the same month last year.

Month on month, it increased by 20.2% from P123.8 billion.

This came after the month of May saw an annual 9.2% decline.

“This was largely attributed to the recovery of DPWH’s (Department of Public Works and Highways) spending performance following a two-month decline in April and May amid the election ban,” it said.

The Commission on Elections’ 45-day ban on public works spending started on March 28 and ended with the May 12 elections.

In June, the DPWH resumed payments for mobilization fees as well as made progress payments for newly awarded projects. It also settled outstanding obligations from previous years.

However, the DBM noted the pace of infrastructure spending was tempered by base effects from substantial releases for the Department of National Defense’s Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program in June last year.

The Philippines has been ramping up its military capacity under the $35-billion military modernization program since 2012 in response to rising tensions in the South China Sea.

The DBM said big-ticket releases for infrastructure are expected in the second half of the year.

Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman earlier explained that disbursements are expected to pick up toward the latter part of May to June after the 45-day election ban is lifted.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said that increased infrastructure spending is crucial for economic growth.

“(This will translate to) more inclusive economic growth and development, as better infrastructure boosts the economy’s productivity, as well as help attract more foreign tourists and more foreign investments/locators,” Mr. Ricafort said in a Viber message on Thursday.

For the first half of 2025, overall infrastructure and capital outlays disbursements inched up by 1.4% to P620.2 billion from P611.8 billion in the same period last year.

This was 0.1% or P800 million below the P621-billion program for the first semester.

“Although infrastructure expenditures posted a notable 20.8% (P45-billion) annual growth in first quarter this year, it contracted by 9.3% (P36.6 billion) in second quarter amid the election-related prohibition on public spending covering the entire month of April up to the first two weeks of May,” the DBM said.

Meanwhile, overall infrastructure disbursements, which include infrastructure components of subsidy or equity to government corporations and transfers to local government units, were flat at P720.3 billion in the January-to-June period from P720.5 billion a year ago.

It also exceeded the overall infrastructure spending program of P718-billion for the first half by 0.3%.

The DBM said growth in infrastructure transfers to local government units, particularly their development fund equivalent to 20% of the National Tax Allotment, was offset by lower National Government-implemented infrastructure activities and reduced subsidies to state agencies like the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

Subsidies provided to state-run firms stood at P7.45 billion in June, 26.68% down from P10.16 billion a year earlier.

Budgetary support to the NIA plunged by 68.21% in June to P2.39 billion from P7.52 billion in the same period in 2024.

“Nevertheless, the total infrastructure spending for the first semester was registered at 5.3% of GDP (gross domestic product), in line with the 5.3% full-year target for this year,” it added.

Based on the 2026 Budget of Expenditures and Sources, the government set its full-year infrastructure spending program at P1.51 trillion, equivalent to 5.3% of the GDP.

In the following months, the DBM said line agencies are expected to ramp up requests for release of allotments for their programs, activities, and projects in the second semester as implementation activities normalize post-election ban.

“These may also include unutilized cash allocations from the second quarter that line agencies can still request this second semester so they can process payments and make disbursements to suppliers or contractors for completed and delivered goods or rendered services,” it said.

Among the anticipated spending drivers for the succeeding months are progress billings from multiple finished or partially completed road and transport infrastructure projects and releases for defense modernization program.

“Increased infrastructure spending at around 5%-6% of GDP for the coming years, as also seen in recent years, would still lead to sustained growth in infrastructure spending,” Mr. Ricafort said.

Source: Business World