The last Monday in February, we have delicious dinner at restaurant Huson with Nathalie de Vries (architect / partner MVRDV) and Rients Dijkstra (urban designer/ partner MAXWAN).

The discussion focused on the 'Public architect’. Nathalie as former Government Advisor on Rail Infrastructure and now as president of the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects (BNA), Rients as Government Advisor on Infrastructure and Urbanism and Professor of Urban Design at the Delft University of Technology have extensive experience performing functions in the social field. They told us build bridges between market players, research institutions and public organizations is no easy task. Confidence in architects and urban designers is shockingly low.

Clear this evening that confidence can not be restored to the way we are now working within the disciplines. The 'Public architect' has the difficult task to connect with all other parties in the chain. An even tougher task is to open her own profession to the outside world.