Interview with Gabriëlle Van Zoeren, Antwerp Circular South Project Coordinator.

 

It does take the willingness to except many obstacles to conquer.  Yet it´s great to work with visionary partners, we all share the challenge of bringing something complex into reality, this common effort makes it inspiring and gives me the vibe to keep going. We all know, if it works, we created something really valuable.

What has been your experience of dealing within your internal administrative structures? (have you face any strong personal or structural blockages, are you rather supported or not)?

A municipality has the responsibility to make the city processes run smoothly. Citizens need a stable, trustworthy and transparent administration to count on. Of course, this a direct contradiction with an innovative environment. So yes, I have been stumbling upon closed doors. Yet I understand that this is part of the game called innovation. My mentality is, stay focus, accept that it takes time and be patient. Sometimes the door stays closed but usually two windows open in the end and we can move on.

What are your biggest fears of failure for the project? Are there any?

My greatest fear would be that all our activities have NO results. Citizens can choose not to respond to a nudge, not to come to the Circularity Centre, they can choose not to care, and this would be my biggest fear, that we are too much, too fast, too complex to comprehend for the citizens.

Reposted from the UIA’s website.