Fildzah Amalina is a PhD student in the Department of Geography at King's College London, funded by the London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS-DTP).

Fildzah is an urban researcher and advocacy practitioner with interests in urban political ecology, urban social movements, and environmental and social justice. Before starting her PhD, she spent over five years working at an Indonesian NGO focused on participatory urban development.

She holds an MSc in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London, and a Bachelor's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia.

Research

Thesis Title: "Contesting Imaginaries of a Sinking City - Towards an Engaged Urban Political Ecology"

This research explores how different urban actors understand and imagine ‘sinking cities’. Focusing on the northern coast of Java, Indonesia, where land subsidence and tidal flooding are transforming coastal environments and communities, it examines how government institutions and technical experts understand these challenges and how their visions shape decisions about urban development and coastal interventions. At the same time, it explores how local communities make sense of these changes and imagine alternative futures based on their everyday experiences, knowledge, and aspirations. Through critical ethnographic research and creative, participatory methods such as storytelling and visual arts, the research brings different perspectives into conversation, exploring the tensions and possibilities that emerge through these encounters. It asks how alternative imaginaries can engage with and challenge hegemonic ways of thinking about sinking cities, contributing to more just approaches to coastal development.

PhD Supervision

Principal Supervisor: Dr Emma Colven

Secondary Supervisor: Professor Cathy McIlwaine