Green Success Stories puts Harshika Bisht, Senior Sustainable Design Reviewer for Boston Planning, in the Green Spotlight. Harshika describes being inspired by witnessing the intuitively climate-responsive design in the architecture of a southern India village, and how it planted the seed in her to combine age-old passive techniques with modern technology and policy to create buildings that are both high-performing and humane. She continues to do so at Boston planning, where she and her colleagues work to reshape urban environments to better serve both people and the planet.
Tell us a bit about your sustainability journey.
My sustainability journey began with architecture. A formative moment for me was a trip to a village in Southern India, where I observed how homes were built using vernacular wisdom, with courtyards that facilitated stack ventilation and locally sourced stone that provided natural thermal insulation through heat lag. It was humbling to see how climate-responsive design was embedded in tradition long before sustainability became a buzzword. That experience planted the seed of curiosity in me: how can we combine age-old passive techniques with modern technology and policy to create buildings that are both high-performing and humane? Since then, I’ve dedicated my work to bridging design, data, and climate action — now serving as a Senior Sustainable Design Reviewer for the City of Boston. I continue to have a deep curiosity about how cities function and how we can reshape urban environments to better serve both people and the planet. As a Senior Sustainable Design Reviewer at the Boston Planning & Development Agency, I’ve had the opportunity to evaluate major development projects and guide them toward meeting Boston’s progressive green building standards. What motivates me every day is the chance to work at the intersection of policy, climate science, and design, pushing for built environments that reduce carbon emissions, promote public health, and support long-term sustainability.
Tell us a bit about the work you do.
At the City of Boston, our team leads Boston’s Green Building Review process under Zoning Article 37 Green Buildings, which requires large development projects to meet sustainability criteria. I work closely with project teams to evaluate and recommend strategies in alignment with Boston’s evolving Net Zero Carbon requirements. One of our key tools is a new Emissions Impact Calculator, which models different carbon reduction pathways — from electrification to procurement — helping inform smarter, data-driven decisions for future buildings. Our mission is to ensure that development contributes to a cleaner, greener Boston for everyone.
Share a green success story with us – how have you helped customers or other businesses in the fight against climate change?
Some of the most impactful projects I worked on involved reviewing large-scale affordable housing developments. The developers almost always initially propose a conventional design, but through collaborative review sessions and iterative modeling, we are able to guide them toward a fully electric, high-performance envelope design through incentives and rebates. The results are developments that significantly reduce operational emissions while maintaining affordability. Beyond the carbon savings, these projects become a model for future equitable, sustainable housing, showing that climate justice and housing justice can go hand in hand.
What would you do with $1 billion dollars?
If I were to get my hands on a $1 billion surplus, I would create a National Green Building Fund that supports cities in implementing local emissions reduction policies. This would include grants for building electrification retrofits, free technical assistance for small developers and nonprofits, and capacity-building for city staff. I would also invest in climate data tools and open-source calculators that empower decision-makers with accessible, real-time carbon impact projections.
What do you envision your industry looking like in ten years?
In ten years, I envision more of the built environment industry shifting toward performance-based design and mandatory operational carbon limits. Regulations will likely require full lifecycle carbon disclosure, and new buildings will be not only net-zero but also regenerative, giving back more than they take. Planning departments will play a bigger role in climate strategy, and equity will be embedded into every step, from permitting to energy modeling to community benefits.
What would you like readers to take away from this article?
I’d like readers to see that climate action isn’t only about grand gestures — it’s about steady, systemic change, and it often starts with policies and design reviews that happen behind the scenes. Sustainable cities are possible, but they require public agencies, private developers, and communities to work together and make choices rooted in long-term impact and justice.
How should readers get in touch with you and/or your organization?
You can connect with me through LinkedIn. For inquiries related to green building reviews or sustainability tools, our Sustainability & Resilience team is always open to collaboration.
Kudos
Many thanks to Harshika Bisht and Boston Planning. Green Success Stories is happy to support and highlight your efforts! We invite you the reader to do the same.
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