The study presents the perception of the public and the property owners of Escolta, an old street in Manila City, toward the street's heritage conservation. The policy context of heritage conservation in the Philippines was reviewed and Escolta's historical roots and cultural value were examined through ocular inspection, review of existing literature and public documents, and key informant interviews.
A convenience sampling on the day population of the study locale was used for the survey to determine the awareness and acceptance of the public regarding the conservation of Escolta Street. Interview with four property owners of Escolta's heritage buildings was also conducted to discern their respective outlooks on the preservation of their buildings. The gathered data were analyzed through cultural mapping, frrequency statistics, and content analysis.
Findings of the study showed taht a significant proportion of the survey respondents agreed to protect and preserve Escolta Street and its heritage buildings while the property owners of heritage buildings represented by Escolta Commercial Association Inc. (ECAI) expressed a conditional approval of their buildings' preservation due to the restricted development and costly maintenance which could greatly affect their financial returns.
Based on the different perspectives gained from the study, planning strategies and approaches for heritage conservation-led development plans and projects were identified as follows: 1) multi-stakeholder participatory planning; 2) formulation of an inclusive heritage conservation plan; 3) provision of private support and privileges for the preservation of cultural properties; 4) adoption of transfer of development rights as a fund generation strategy for heritage conservation; 5) development of cultural heritage resources as heritage tourism site; 6) upgrading of infrastructure facilities; 7) regulation of public transportation; 8) promotion of micro cultural and economic activities in Escolta; and 9) adoption of recommendations from existing plans - adaptive resue, architectural heritage living gallery, urban design and site furniture enhancement, pedestrianization, and Escolta wharf (waterfront development).