The short version
Fairview is a northern catchment, not a compact neighbourhood. SM City Fairview, Fairview Terraces, schools and subdivisions create a useful local centre, while Commonwealth and Quirino Highway make central commutes long and unpredictable. It suits a northern household more than a worker who needs Manila every morning.
The mall corridor and the homes behind it
SM City Fairview sits on Quirino Highway in Greater Lagro. Fairview Terraces and Robinsons Novaliches add to the same retail cluster. That concentration means errands can be handled locally, but the roads around the malls are not restful and the subdivisions vary sharply in access, drainage and pavement.
Quezon City’s traffic department lists Commonwealth zipper lanes and early traffic-control periods in the Fairview and Doña Carmen sections. Treat those measures as evidence of the corridor’s daily pressure, not as a commute guarantee. A property near a transport stop is a different proposition from one behind a gated subdivision.
Would I live here?
Yes, if work and school were in the north and the household wanted a larger local catchment. I would not choose Fairview for a daily CBD commute without timing it in both directions. The retail centre is useful. The distance is the fact that matters.