The value of mixed-use development in urban living

By Felino Palafox, Jr.

IMAGINE an urban community where everything you need is reachable within a five-minute walk from your doorstep. This is how we envisioned Rockwell Center when we did the architecture, design, and master-planning in 1998.

In a time when projects were limited to shopping malls, gated subdivisions, or condominium and apartment buildings, this was the pioneer of a mixed-use development — a place where people can live, work, shop, play, dine, and worship, within the vicinity of their neighborhood.

Fast forward to 2026, and this is now the gold standard among real estate developers. As an architect and urban planner who has studied more than 2,000 cities around the world, I would like to share my insights on why mixed-use developments are the future of urban living.

REDUCED TRAFFIC CONGESTION
With conventional American planning, single-use zoning was prevalent, segregating where people live, work, and play. This made automobile usage a necessity. However, when everyone needs to drive to go to work, to drop off kids at school, or to go grocery shopping, the roads easily get congested with cars, resulting in excruciating travel times.

Mixed-use developments solve the problem of traffic congestion by reducing the need for a private vehicle. When essential facilities and amenities — such as offices, schools, groceries, restaurants, and retail stores — are conveniently located near the home, they become more accessible.

Mixed-use developments are usually integrated with transit-oriented developments and vertical urbanism. If ever you can’t get to a destination by walking or cycling alone, there will be a transit station within walking distance. This increases the radius of accessible destinations from the home.

When people spend less time in transit, they can spend it in more productive and meaningful ways, such as resting, working, or being with family and friends.

LOWER COST OF LIVING
Car ownership is a major financial commitment. You do not just pay once for the car, since there are also registration, insurance, fuel, toll, parking, and maintenance expenses, as well as depreciation. The annual cost of automobile ownership in the Philippines ranges from P100,000 to P300,000, depending on the size. However, if the vehicle was purchased via financing, expect this to double due to interest.

That money that could be saved can be more productively allocated for rent, utilities, or personal consumption, which helps local businesses thrive. Also, residents who live in walkable and bikeable communities spend less on healthcare because they get regular exercise from active transport. This lets them live at least three years longer than those in suburban homes.

Filipinos are already financially burdened with so many expenses, and all it takes is one medical emergency for many families to be on the brink of poverty. An automobile is a liability, not an asset, which is why reducing our dependence on it will have a big impact on our financial freedom.

BETTER SENSE OF COMMUNITY
People are social beings by nature. We naturally gravitate toward centers of human activity and participation. The third space is an environment outside the house (the first place) and the workplace (the second place) where organic human interaction occurs. When parks, plazas, cafes, libraries, and other public spaces are accessible from the house by walking, it is much easier for people to socialize and connect with their community.

Neighborhoods with 24-hour activity cycles are also better protected against criminal elements. In her book The Life and Death of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs introduced the concept of Eyes on the Street. The idea is that the organic social interactions at the street level deter crime.

Criminals are less likely to attempt anything risky if they know they will get spotted by ordinary people, whether that be shopowners tending to their businesses, neighbors chatting by the doorfront, or children playing on the street.

MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
We live in uncertain times. The weather can be unpredictable, given the reality of climate change, as well as the prices of commodities in a rapidly changing world. One distinct advantage of mixed-use developments is that they are resilient communities that are better-equipped for these hazards and vulnerabilities.

Environmentally speaking, mixed-use communities are more sustainable because they are more conducive to cleaner modes of transportation. Every person who chooses walking or cycling over driving helps reduce pollution and congestion in the streets.

Mixed-use developments are more financially sustainable, too. The problem faced by the suburbs in the USA is that they are not income-generating. Since there are no businesses, these communities depend on association dues for the maintenance of their utilities and infrastructure. In contrast, dense downtown areas, especially those with vertical urbanism, generate more revenue with much less land area.

When you have retail and commercial spaces in residential areas, they generate income, add value to the area, and give people a reason to visit and enjoy the place. You wouldn’t go to the suburbs in the middle of nowhere for leisure, but you can spend an entire day with your family and friends in Powerplant Mall, even if you are not a resident of Rockwell Center yourself.

15-MINUTE CITIES AS THE REALIZATION OF MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENTS
The ultimate realization of mixed-use developments can be found in 15-Minute Cities. This concept was introduced by Carlos Moreno in 2016, stating that a person should have access to essential facilities and commodities within a short commute — whether by walking, cycling, or public transportation.

The term was popularized when former Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo implemented this during the pandemic. However, there is one global city that put this into practice, long before the City of Lights underwent its rapid transformation.

Tokyo, Japan, is one of the favorite travel destinations of Filipinos. This is no coincidence, for the Japanese capital is a metropolis of 15-Minute Cities.

Instead of having a central area for commerce, Tokyo consists of multiple neighborhoods acting as 15-Minute Cities. Everything a person needs is within walking or biking distance. And if they ever need to travel farther, they can take the subway to get across the metro, or the bullet train to get out of the city. Because the streets are safe, children can roam freely, whether going to school or doing errands for their parents.

The lax zoning means homeowners can have stores and restaurants at the front of their home, giving life to the streets. For a city to be walkable, the pedestrian experience must be enjoyable, even awe-inspiring, because there is always something around the corner. The beauty of Tokyo lies not in tourist traps, but in the simple charm of its streetlife.

DIVERSITY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
They say that diversity is the spice of life. No man is an island, which is why we can’t live far from the places where we work, dine, shop, play, and worship. Mixed-use developments are the future of urban living because they best meet the needs of people in environments that are increasingly dense, complicated, and complex.