How many more of these gigantic malls and high-rise residences can our cities take? This is a question not so much for Henry Sy and the other land developers like him. We don’t really expect them to see beyond the profits to be made from investments funded by the massive liquidity at their disposal. It is a question, rather, that we must address to our government and to ourselves. Is this what nation-building is – building more malls, more supermarkets, more fast-food joints, more towering beehives of cramped tiny living units? And is this what economic development is – that small entrepreneurs and shop owners must seek shelter and rent space in mega structures if they are to survive? Isn’t it a sad comment on our lack of vision that outside Metro Manila, progress is now equated with the presence of SM and Jollibee?