Our Team
Dian Nostikasari, PhD
Dian earned her B.A. in Architecture from the University of Indonesia. Prior to graduate school, she practiced architecture and interior design in a variety of residential and commercial projects. Dian earned her Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Dian is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment and has led projects in Dallas, Houston, Des Moines, and Jakarta. She engages in interdisciplinary approaches to making stronger connections between the production of the built environment and access to socioeconomic opportunities and other dimensions of the lived experience. Within this framework, access to socioeconomic opportunities is not only an individual right but is also related to institutional structures and collective civic domain. Dian is based in Des Moines, IA.
Specialty | neighborhood assessment, citizen science, community mapping (GIS), environmental justice, transportation planning, grant writing and reporting.
Amal Barre, MSc.
Amal is an urban planner and researcher with a decade of experience in the non-profit and public sectors. Her expertise spans program design, evaluation, data analytics, organizational strategy, and project management. Amal is passionate about creating pathways to safe, affordable, and stable housing, leading initiatives that break barriers and empower communities. Her research efforts promote inclusive and equitable community and economic development. Amal is the founder and project director of unevictIA, an eviction and housing displacement research initiative in Iowa. Amal is a PhD candidate in the Department of Human Geography, Planning, and International Development at the University of Amsterdam. Amal is based in Des Moines, Iowa and Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Specialty | housing, displacement and neighborhood change research, policy analysis, stakeholder engagement and surveying, project management, grant writing and reporting.
Eka Permanasari, PhD
Eka has extensive experience in research and is a professional in the fields of architecture and urban design in Indonesia, Australia and Germany. She has led strategic national projects for the Government of Jakarta, such as Jakarta Giant Sea Wall, 6 Pilot Projects of Community Centers (Ruang Publik Terpadu Ramah Anak - abbreviated as RPTRA), the integration of Jakarta MRT and LRT lines, and Jakarta TOD urban renewal projects.
Eka was involved from the design phase until the construction of the 6 RPTRA pilot projects. This successful participatory design project was then implemented throughout 289 RPTRAs in Jakarta. Apart from serving the Jakarta Governor, Eka has supported the state-owned company Perumnas in revitalizing the public housings in Kemayoran and Klender. Incorporating community voices into end designs is a common thread through all of Eka’s work, and is fundamental to the mission of Just Space Collective. Eka is based in Berlin, Germany and Jakarta, Indonesia.
Specialty | community engagement, co-design, climate adaptation, government and industry engagement, grant writing and reporting.