Pepe Puchol-Salort is a Researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London, working at the intersection of urban water systems, sustainability, governance, and systems-based decision-making.

His work focuses on understanding and strengthening the enabling environments for urban water innovation, with particular attention to governance structures, policy frameworks, planning processes, and multi-stakeholder collaboration across city systems. Pepe’s research combines systems thinking, participatory methods, and strategic analysis to support cities in navigating complex transitions related to water resilience, climate adaptation, and sustainable urban development.

From 2023 to 2025, Pepe was a Hoffmann Fellow in Water Innovation, a strategic fellowship between Imperial College London and the World Economic Forum. During this period, he collaborated closely with global policy leaders, cities, innovators, and investors to advance the Water Action Agenda 2030, contributing to applied research and action-oriented outputs at the global level.

Pepe is the creator and principal author of Water-BOOST, a systems-based toolkit developed to help cities and organisations assess, compare, and strengthen their urban water innovation ecosystems. Water-BOOST draws on comparative city research and systems analysis to inform strategic decision-making, policy design, and investment pathways for future-ready urban water systems.

He holds a PhD in Sustainable Civil Engineering and Water Management from Imperial College London. He is also a registered Environmental Architect (ARB) with more than 14 years of experience spanning architecture, engineering, and strategic urban planning in the UK and internationally. His work bridges research and practice, with a strong emphasis on translating complex systems insights into actionable frameworks for cities and institutions.

PUBLICATIONS

Selected Peer Reviewed Journal Papers

• Zhou, K., Puchol-Salort, P., Pluchinotta, I., Beriro, D., Mijic, A., & Zimmermann, N. (2025). Systems Thinking in Water Neutrality Governance: Moving from system failures to resilient urban water systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 145655.
• Puchol-Salort, P.; Rico-Carranza, E.; Beriro, D.; Boskovic, S.; Van Reeuwijk, M.; Mijic, A. (2025). Integrating water-neutral systemic design and planning decisions across different urban scales: WaNet Decision Support Tool. Urban Sustainability. In Preparation.
• Wang, Y.; Puchol-Salort, P.; Zimmermann, N. (2025). An activity theory-based analysis framework for micro-collaboration in participatory System Dynamics. European Journal of Operational Research. Under review.
• Mason, A.R.; Puchol-Salort, P.; Gathorne-Hardy, A.; Smith, B.; Myers, R. J. (2023). Local Terrestrial Biodiversity Impacts in Life Cycle Assessment: A Case Study of Sedum Roofs in London, UK. Journal of Industrial Ecology.
• Puchol-Salort, P., Boskovic, S., Dobson, B., Van Reeuwijk, M.; Mijic, A. (2022). Water neutrality framework for systemic design of new urban developments. Water Research 219: 118583.
• O'Keeffe, J., Pluchinotta, I., De Stercke, S., Hinson, C., Puchol-Salort, P., Mijic, A., Zimmermann, N., Collins, A. M. (2022). Evaluating natural capital performance of urban development through system dynamics: A case study from London. Science of The Total Environment, 824:153673
• Puchol-Salort, P., O’Keeffe, J., Van Reeuwijk, M., Mijic, A. (2021). An urban planning sustainability framework: Systems approach to blue green urban design. Sustainable Cities and Society 66: 102677.

World Economic Forum

• Puchol-Salort, P. et al. (2025). Water-BOOST: Enabling Innovation for Future-Ready Cities. Insight Report.
• Morera, B. E., Puchol-Salort, P., et al. (2025). Water Futures: Mobilizing Multi-Stakeholder Action for Resilience. White Paper. 
• Puchol-Salort, P., Sevillano-Barba, J. (2025). What can we learn from cities about water innovation? Agenda Blog.
• Puchol-Salort, P., Cowell, N. (2025). Bridging Air and Water Resilience: How Systems Thinking Can Drive Innovative Urban Solutions. Agenda Blog.