Situated in Barangay Socorro in Cubao, and at the intersection of two major roads, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) and Aurora Boulevard, the area offers retail, dining, entertainment, residential, office, lodging and parking facilities throughout the complex and hosts over 1 million people daily, due to its close proximity to transport terminals, including the railway stations of the MRT Line 3 and the LRT Line 2.

The entire complex is owned by ACI, Inc., a subsidiary of the Araneta Group, who also serves as the developer and manager of the commercial area.

ACI, Inc. is also currently in charge of spearheading a redevelopment master plan after years of delays and issues, which aims to transform the area into a "garden city" and consists of additional buildings, shopping malls, and other high-rise facilities within the complex, set to be completed within 2030.

[6] In 1953, Araneta initially only purchased 4 hectares (9.9 acres) of land from RCA, where he built his residence, which would become known as the "Bahay na Puti" (White House).

Many of these establishments however have been closed by the end of the 1990s, with the buildings either repurposed for commercial purposes or demolished to give way to future developments due to the introduction of the home entertainment systems, supported with the rising usage of compact discs from the 1990s to the 2000s, and the creation of in-house movie theaters inside the shopping malls in the Metro that led to lesser patronage to these movie theaters.

[9] It was during the late 1980s where the complex began losing steam and encountered numerous problems within its properties, from the Farmers Plaza fire to the coups against the Presidency of Corazon Aquino, the Araneta Group also faced numerous uncertainties and rising competition from newer mixed-use developments with more advantageous locations within Manila and Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The redevelopment dream was further titillated in the aftermath of the construction of the LRT Line 2 a year later, and prompted J. Amado's son, Jorge L. Araneta to launch a multi-phase master plan to reinvigorate their long-waited vision.

The redevelopment master plan is envisioned to turn the complex into an inter-connected, transit oriented "Garden City" concept, promoting connectivity, green architecture and open spaces within its buildings.

[15][16][17][18] The master plan will also include a multi-billion dollar 8 hectares (20 acres) Integrated resort consisting hotels, dining, entertainment, gaming, conventions and conferences, luxurious retail shops, a modernised Farmer's Market, and a heritage area located along EDSA, spanning from the Farmer's Market and its surrounding buildings, up to the Farmer's Garden area; and a planned expansion of Ali Mall, which includes a 4-tower mixed-use development located along the northern area of the mall.

The mall was designed by RTKL Associates in partnership with Felino Palafox of Palafox Associates and received various acclaims of different organizations, as the mall was named the shopping mall as the Shopping Center of the Year for two consecutive years in 2006 and 2007 by the Philippine Retailers Association, a Merit Awardee at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) 30th Innovative Design and Development Awards, and a finalist at the 2008 Urban Land Institute Awards for Excellence.

The expansion also features roughly 400 retail shops, 100 restaurants, a modernized Shopwise Supermarket, an activity area atrium with the Quantum Skyview LED installation, a "Tropical themed" Lagoon Restaurant Collection, the "Palenque" food alley, a 18-cinema cineplex, the "Asian Village" food hall, a K-Pop and P-Pop themed Cafe, a bowling center, a culinary dining hall, a sensory garden, and a "Mitre" inspired 1,000-seater Sagrada Familia Church.

Named after Muhammad Ali in the aftermath of his fight against Joe Frazier in the Thrilla in Manila, held at the Araneta Coliseum.

The mall has 64,500 square meters (694,000 sq ft) of floor area and is occupied by local shops, restaurants, and government facilities.

The bookstore branch also serves as one of the primary warehouses of books within Metro Manila, and for the company's online shopping operations.

The building also entered renovation in June 2009 and was completed in January 2010, which featured a modernized facade design pattered with stripes within the grey and white colored exteriors, upgraded interiors such as the upgraded atriums with a "shower-like" LED lights display and a striped interior design, expanded floor space, and a skybridge along Times Square Avenue, linking the building to Ali Mall.

[32] On July 28, 2023, Shopwise moved to the lower ground section of the new Gateway Mall 2,[33] while efforts were made to revive the complex.

[37][38] The complex also contains numerous al fresco dining areas, vintage shops, and plant and gardening shops catering its clientele, such as the Araneta City Expo, the Cubao Expo, the Farmers Garden, and the Manhattan Row, wherein the area also serves as an alternative outdoor concert venue.

Construction for the coliseum began in 1957, before being completed in 1960, and hosted numerous events since its opening, ranging from various concerts, sports matches, gatherings, and entertainment purposes.

After further discussions and planning, Jorge Araneta decided to retain and preserve the Coliseum, due to its historical significance and its potential to cater more events in the near future.

[48] The Ibis Styles Araneta City is a budget hotel located adjacent to the Gateway Mall 2, along General Roxas Avenue.

The new hotel opened its doors in a soft opening in March 2024, and features 286 rooms and features five function rooms, three restaurants, a lobby lounge, a co-working space with an all-day patisserie, and a rooftop pool bar with a cantilevered pool, and was fully completed on September 2024.

The tower also serves as the former headquarters of the Araneta Group and currently houses local companies, which includes the offices of the Honorary Consulate of Colombia as tenants occupy the upper levels of the building.

[53] The Araneta City Cyberpark is a 8-hectare (20-acre) office development complex located within the city's southern cluster and serves as the office and information technology (IT) Hub components of the area, and houses both international and local companies, primarily Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies.

These buildings are presently occupied by Puregold, Rex Bookstore, Savemore Market, the Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company, and other local firms.

The Manhattan Gardens is a four-phase (Parkway, Parkview, Heights, Plaza) condominium complex, serving as the first transit-oriented residential development in the country, and occupies 5.7-hectare (14-acre) hectares of the Araneta City.

The City Plaza will also feature a four-star hotel, premium grade offices, luxury residential towers, leisure and retail spaces, and green amenities such as the "Spanish Steps", which were inspired from the Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy, and the civic center, located in the middle of the complex.

[3] The private property also features approximately 300 chicken dens on the mansion's western side for cockfighting and fowl breeding purposes.

The free E-shuttle services began operations on June 20, 2009, and were temporarily suspended in March 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.