What great cities have that Australia's cities don't

Ben Groundwater has written a piece for Fairfax Papers, reflecting on What great cities have that Australia's cities don't

There's nothing wrong with Australian cities. They're not bad places to live – in fact they're fantastic. But do you sometimes get the feeling that we're missing out, that we're not doing something right?

Public artworks, and features designed with no other purpose than to beautify the city, are something we seem to be sorely lacking at home. And it doesn't have to be that way. Check out Montreal or New York, where a percentage of money poured into the construction of any public building has to be dedicated to beautifying it with art. The result is cities awash with colour and character.