IN the streets and squares of Derby, Nick Corbett can see similarities with Italian cities such as Florence. Even in the city's scruffiest of areas he spots potential.
He admits people have mocked him for it but as urban design manager for Derby Cityscape it was Nick's job to have vision and make reality what others could not yet imagine.
After five years of working with urban regeneration company Derby Cityscape, he is preparing to move onto a new challenge in the West Midlands.
But he can still remember the early meetings with residents, the potential he saw in Derby and the eagerness for improvements.
"When we arrived in Derby nothing had happened for a long time and people had woken up to the fact that doing nothing wasn't an option.
There has been a real appetite for change in Derby. With the amount of changes planned in the city centre there could have been a lot of resistance but that has not been the case.
"One word hit me when I came to Derby – potential. The streets gave you a new view of the city at every turn, Irongate up to the Cathedral then the view of St Mary's Church, it was all there and the streets are like something out of Italy. It was just the spaces weren't being made the most of."
Nick set out to achieve Derby's potential by creating a masterplan for development.
"Coming up with the masterplan and getting it agreed in 2005 was an achievement," he said. "We identified the needs of the community, the economic needs such as for more retail, space for creative industries and city centre office space.
"Now we have seen Friargate Studios created as a place for the creative industries and there are some really exciting offices spaces which have got planning permission.
"We have also seen the creation of quality affordable housing with the development of Churnet House."
One area he has been heavily involved in but will not see come to fruition is Cathedral Green. Above the buildings and the promised office blocks, Nick sees public spaces – the streets, squares, parks and paths between the buildings – as the key to unlocking regeneration success.
"When we came up with our plan for public spaces, our Public Realm Strategy, we used that to get £3.6m Government funding for Cathedral Green.
"As soon as the private sector saw the investment was happening they became interested. It was then that Wilson Bowden came forward with its plans for apartments and offices in Full Street. They've now called that scheme No 1 Cathedral Green so the public space has actually created an address."
Putting public spaces first, or public realm as the designers like to call it, is the number one lesson Nick said he will take to his next job in Sandwell and Birmingham.
"You have to put the public realm in first to inspire confidence to the private sector that the area is going to happen and that it is going to be regenerated and there is a vision for the area," he said.
And when trying to bring about huge changes to a city, getting people on board is also key.
In a publicly-funded organisation shaping a place for people to work, live and play, there is no room for a dictatorial approach.
Everyone has to be consulted, from businesses, disabled groups, transport organisations, council officers, the wider public and investors.
The word consultation is often derided, seen as a hoop to jump through rather than a way of shaping decisions.
Nick disagrees. He has seen how consultation has shaped his own plans and ideas.
"When we were designing the street furniture, such as benches and bins, and agreeing the materials we would use across the city we consulted with various groups.
"Visually impaired groups said they wanted yellow street furniture because it would be easier to see.
"I worked with the disabled access officer at the council and learned what made things easier to see was the contrast with the background.
"That is why we picked the raven grey colour for the iron work, the lamps, benches and bins and chose York paving which is a buff, yellowish colour for the furniture. We did tests and that is the maximum tonal difference to make it easier to see them.
"We also developed the hoardings which have gone up round the city which show real Derby people in real locations.
"Derby does have interesting people and places and we wanted to raise confidence among people and show that we valued them and recognised their unique character."
There is still a great deal to achieve in Derby according to Nick. On the wall of Cityscape's offices he can see his work. The coloured blocks on maps depicting where new links between the railway station and the city centre will be, where houses, shops and public parks will be created.
He is preparing to leave before the majority of those blocks become reality but he wants Derby to keep hold of one phrase – "design excellence".
"It is about raising confidence and showing people we are serious about design and high quality in Derby. I hope Derby will continue to expect that quality," Nick said.
He admits he has been mocked for saying Derby reminds him of an Italian city but the vision he had and achievements he has helped make are what led him to be headhunted by Urban Living in Sandwell and Birmingham.
The 15-year regeneration programme aims to improve neighbourhoods where there are acute problems of low-demand housing.
Reflecting on the changes he has initiated, shaped and delivered, Nick is confident he has helped lay the foundations for Derby's urban renaissance and can now move on.
"I think it is the end of one chapter in Derby and the start of another. The foundations have been laid and now the projects are being delivered.
"I feel satisfied to have been involved in the planning stages and will certainly be back to visit and see how it develops as Derby will always be in me."
Article courtesy of Derby Evening Telegraph