CBD violence and other urban myths

I spent a chunk of my 20s living elsewhere. London, Berlin and Glasgow – genuinely hard, complex and sometimes troubled cities. They had their fair share of blokes out looking for trouble, but like most big cities you always felt safe, despite the edgy undercurrent.

You’d go out at night and there would be drunks and arguments, but the overwhelming impression was of people enjoying themselves.

Like most expats, I read emails, articles and third-hand accounts of my home city of Melbourne, which apparently had gone to the dogs — via redwolf.newsvine.com