Arch. Yael Nidam-Kirsht

Yael Nidam Kirsht is an urban planner, architect, and researcher whose work sits at the intersection of urban infrastructure, climate resilience, and public health. Her research focuses on equitable pathways for sustainable urban transitions, exploring how infrastructure can help cities mitigate climate change and adapt to extreme weather events while protecting human health and well-being. As a multidisciplinary researcher, Yael integrates morphological, qualitative (interviews and surveys), and quantitative (data science, alongside geographic and statistical analysis) methods to deepen the understanding of the relationship between the built environment, sustainability, and health. To make her research findings accessible to the broader public and decision-makers, Yael develops digital data exploration tools, interactive maps, and policy recommendations for government agencies and municipalities.   For over a decade, Yael has partnered with governments, municipalities, businesses, and community organizations to turn complex data into sustainable urban change. Most recently, she led the Equitable Housing Decarbonization project, utilizing participatory action research to deliver strategic policy recommendations to the State of California. Her broader research portfolio includes studying wildfire resilience with the NSF-funded Smart and Connected Communities team, advancing urban health with the Healthy Neighborhoods Study, and evaluating climate risk with the City of Boston and MIT’s Office of Sustainability. Yael holds a Master's in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.Arch from the Technion. She received multiple awards for excellence in research and leadership, including the prestigious MIT Woman of Excellence award and a Fulbright fellowship. Her peer-reviewed research is featured in top-tier journals, including Scientific Reports (Nature portfolio), npj Urban Sustainability (Nature portfolio), Journal of the American Planning Association, Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, Social Science and Medicine, and Urban Science.