Dian Nostikasari 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. Nostikasari earned her Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy from the University of Texas at Arlington where she pursued her interest to gain deeper understanding of how the built environment and public policy affect people’s lived experiences. Prior to joining Drake University, she was a senior research fellow at Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research where she focuses on issues or urban development, transportation and placemaking.
In her research, Nostikasari utilizes interdisciplinary approaches in the coproduction of built-environment as an essential element for meaningful participation in civic life. She was worked in various collaborative research projects funded by the Texas Department of Transportation, West Michigan University’s Transportation Research Center for Livable Communities, Cancer Research UK, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Her commitment to community engagement led to collaborations with community leaders and residents to highlight needs for neighborhood improvements resulted in external funding for sidewalk construction and other safety-related projects.
Nostikasari have worked with graduate and undergraduate students in courses, such as: Urban Food Deserts; the Metroplex: Justice, Democracy and the Metropolitan Environment; Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Social Justice and Research Methods; Planning History, Theory and Ethics; and Social Policy Formation. She seeks to make stronger connections between students’ lived experiences with critical issues of surrounding communities, hence the ability to influence positive change evolved from the ability to deeply learn from each other.
