In my country, the older buildings are deliberately devalued, and most of the people buy it, but only to find out that the building will be soon collapsed by a bulldozer.
I remember a similar case here, but with someone who just didn't want to leave, and rightfully so. Eventually that person got paid what he wanted for his property and left to see how it later was reduced to dust.
It was far more expensive and time consuming to get that person to leave through a legal battle, so they went with the easiest option. As last person standing you can achieve quite a lot if you don't let them scare you off.
I'm however not sure how friendly the situation would be dealt with in Asia and Africa. People's rights there are of less value and you probably lose more by playing hard game if you're unwanted.