Dr Francesca Savoldi (Ca’ Foscari University Venice / ISS Erasmus) was hosted at the Bogazici University during October 2025, as part of a Rethink Blue short term scientific mission (STSM).
This Short-Term Scientific Mission investigated the dynamics of urban coastal transformation in Jakarta, a port city simultaneously expanding its coastal urbanization while physically sinking due to land subsidence and sea-level rise.
Jakarta embodies a dual reality: on one hand, large-scale infrastructural and reclamation projects are promoted as climate change adaptation strategies, generating new, privately-owned islands as sites of blue growth and productive land. On the other hand, marginalized fishing and coastal communities face increasing pressures of displacement, demaritimization, livelihood loss, and environmental degradation.
The aim of this STSM is to develop a draft for an academic paper drawing on recent fieldwork in Jakarta, critically examining the conflicts that emerge when climate adaptation strategies are framed primarily through blue economy expansion. This work directly contributes to the COST Action WP3 (Port Cities and Coastal Communities) and WP4 (Fisheries Governance & Emergent Activities) agenda, by positioning Jakarta as a comparative case study of a port city navigating the tensions between blue growth, environmental protection, and social justice. A key planned output of the mission is a draft for co-authored paper in collaboration with Dr Irmak Ektör and other colleagues at the host institution.
