I think choosing street circuits was a great decision. The two street circuits in F1 (Monaco and Singapore) are highly regarded by both the fans and drivers as being exciting and challenging races. On top of this, the possibility of a race running through "your city" has the potential to draw audiences far greater than that of F1.
You're right, my bad. Although I would argue that Singapore and Monaco are in a class of their own in terms of the shape of the track and the subsequent load on the driver and car. Montreal, Melbourne and Valencia don't have the same tight, constricted feel of the other two, because of their wider tracks, longer straights and faster corners. They're also not in areas as densely populated as Monaco and Singapore. Off the top of my head I recall Montreal and Melbourne are both around large parks? Anyway, my original point was that these circuits (in dense urban areas) result in exciting and popular spectator experiences.