Ninth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

Today’s society dictates design by its extensive influence driven by commercialism and global style. The Philippines is not immune to these phenomena. The current social landscape of urban and rural Philippines has been continuously building houses based on popular Western Styles which were glorified as transcendent and a status symbol. The demand for housing upgrade is stronger than it has ever been, creating a predicament among residents to either desert their old houses and be destroyed from natural calamities or to rot purposely and be demolished eventually. The lack of implementation and enforcement of Republic Act 10066 or The National Cultural Heritage Act of the Philippines, makes it more attractive to peddle old houses to developers and collectors who have created a themed museum of old Philippine structures. These nouveau repositories have become a tourism spectacle, creating a parallel development and widespread marketing strategies of those in Disney parks in which this article will delve into the phenomena and threat to cultural authenticity applying the four dimensions of Disneyization. In the Philippines, urban development is on the rise and the remaining built structures of the unique heritage and cultural importance appears to be at risk. This study hinges on the balance between the role of conservation and the imperatives of urban development.