I tend to agree with Pedicles/TRTL
What many people forget is that there is a big difference between the motivation/skill between a vandal/Tagger and a graffiti artist.

Don't forget some people spend a lot of money on their property only to have it’s defaced by some self indulgent individual who sprays some ascetically infantile cult scrawl simply to prove their perverted sense identity. To me there is no difference between a tagger and a vandal who destroys tombstones particularly historic one.

Graffiti artists are essentially different and under some circumstances they enhance the boring backs of buildings along train lines with real creative art.
Likewise the clever graffiti who enhance a bill board with wit e.g. The Richmond Church who had a sign that said “what would you do if Jesus came to Hawthorn”
One wit wrote “move Peter Hudson (a full forward hero for Hawthorn FC at the time) to centre half forward. “ It gained world wide coverage and drew attention to the sign the priest was happy and left it like that for months.
My favourite was the Chelsea ( England) Interflora sign It read “say it with Flowers” some wit added “send her a Trifid” (for the young that refers to a book movie of the time “ the day of the Trifid” ( an invasion of alien ‘ man eating plants’) He he :-)

Dear Pericles,

Yes, cities are cities. However, I still feel that
some city planners (and local councils) could
do a better job of it and not allow indiscriminate
development which is out of character with the
local environment.

Such as for example, permiting culturally
unsuitable practices, market-stalls,
inappropriate-shops, which add to the clutter and
the mess often seen in certain concentrated areas.

Mark me down as another one who agrees with TRTL and Pericles. We live in a fairly new housing estate and a more drab, less stimulating visual environment I have yet to see. Give me a vibrant city any day.

On graffiti on public property, in my view it's no more vandalism than our councils leasing public space out to advertisers. Given the choice between art, even bad art, and ads, I choose the bad art.

Foxy, Mexico City is a vibrant city. Remember the huge squares and spaces with not a single booth? The busy, busy boulevards with Mariachi bands? People promanading, people watching people and people having fun.

For vibrant cities with little visual junk and clutter overlaid with incessant loud poor quality music blaring from loudspeakers as is often found in our malls and inner cities visit Paris, Boston, Amsterdam, Vienna, to name but a few. Much, much more crowded than Australia's but still manage city squares, inner city parks and real music.

Brisbane's inner city mall has hardly a square inch that is not taken up with some rent paying booth. It's nigh impossible to see and be seen. And what's the point of being in a city if it's not for people? We're disappearing amongst the junk.

Dear Anansi,

I fell in love with Mexico City.
I loved the Indian and Spanish heritage.
The National Museum of Anthropology with
its massive carvings and portrayals of
Indian life. The Metropolitan Cathedral
with its many chapels, the Constitution
Plaza, surrounded by historical landmarks,
ranging from Aztec ruins to palaces.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
north of the City.

And much, much more.

Most of all I loved the richness of the
culture, and the people.

Some cities simply draw you in, Mexico City,
was definitely one of those for me.

Yeah. I'm with TRTL, Examinator etc. here.

I used to catch the train into Brisbane from the Sunny Coast: it approached through an old, industrial part of the city. I used to look forward to it twice a day. The mixture of brilliant graffiti, valiant little plants struggling to take back their space, abandoned and rather Art House-looking bits and pieces, the naked backs of old houses...it gave my imagination something to feast on every day.

I love the tranquil depths of a rain forest, or the sweeping perfection of a long coastline too. But a city, to me, mustn't be all mirror glass, soaring architecture and buildings whose interiors smell of chemically manufactured Sea Mist or Flower Garden(like parts of Hong Kong Island). It should also have little bits of its frayed petticoat peeking out from under its Sunday dress - graffiti, rusting tins cans, huge billboards, skateboard on pavements...the whole joyous, overcrowded, inconvenient lot!