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What do you think? Do you live in an MUR?

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My girlfriend is from Odawara, a suburb city of Yokohama. I went with her to Japan recently and had the time to experience part of the MUR of Tokyo. Simply put, Tokyo has it 80 percent right! Subways, buses and trains (both commuter and bullet) serve the swell of humanity pretty well, though there are problems. Infrastructure strain continues to be a problem, as literally millions take the mass transport system. Sanitation is also a problem (again, because of so many people), and the dense living areas means there is no room for greenspace.

There are some highways in Tokyo, but they are constantly crowded and people try to avoid them like the plague. Yet more people walk and take bikes, so I think this is one example, which with a few tweaks and better planning, can serve other MURs and cities for the future.

The Principal Voices forum has missed one major key point of urban failure: real estate land sharking and money laundering in housing sales, including fake earthquake-proof housing.

These are main elements blocking the success of the Japanese Mega Cities urban renewal plan, in particular, slow improvement of conventional commuter rail and subway networking in favor of bland elevated express highway systems during past three decades. Today, these roadway systems are altogether obsolete.

The ever-spreading MURs in Asia are not only an urban nightmare, but are also a fight for survival for rural emigrants. The lack of well-developed education systems, electricity, water supplies and medical facilities, and non-existent career opportunities, are major reasons for rural migration, resulting in a near-collapse of urban society.

It’s a case of minimum resources vs. population explosion. The only way to resolve the problem is to provide rural areas with their fair share of health, educational and economic development.

Mega Manila is actually the biggest metropolitan area in South East Asia today. It does not just comprise the cities around Manila, it now includes numerous urban areas in nearby provinces as well. With the extent of its urbanization, the combined population of mega-Manila today can be pegged at over twenty million. Other big Philippine cities are almost integrating with the towns around them, too, including Cebu, Davao and Baguio in the north.

The ever-spreading MURs in Asia is not only an urban nightmare, but is also a fight for survival for rural emigrants. The lack of well developed education systems, electricity, water supplies and medical facilities, and non-existent career opportunities, are major reasons for rural migration, resulting in a near-collapse of urban society.

Minimum resources verses population explosion -- the only way to resolve the problem is to provide rural areas with their fair share of health, educational and economic development.

One issue to tackle about MUR's is that of land ownership. It isn't always possible to resolve all the cases of land ownership, making it harder to expand the roads and other important infrastructure.

The situation of MURs in South Asia is of serious concern. One of the problems in the region is politicized rural/ urban planning. The issue has not addressed democratically as yet. Rural migration can be dealt with by satisfying people socially and economically.

Civilization is jumping headlong towards MURs all over the world, thanks to an era of liberalization.

The city is changing fast, and is getting close to other European capitals. What it really needs is space for circulation and space for reunions, for coming to a common space or sense.

India's commercial capital, Mumbai, with its ideal geographical location, has all the potential to take up the challenge of fast growing urbanization.

But unfortunately, the city with 14-15 million people is on the verge of collapse because of a lack of political will to strengthen its century-old infrastructure and to relocate the slums from the heart of the city, the two biggest stumbling blocks for its development into one of the super cities of the world.

Living in one fast growing city In India is not getting better any more! The city has seen unprecedented development, it is growing in leaps and bounds and with it are the problems too.

The urbanization has taken everybody by surprise. The city adds 3,000 vehicles every week, a staggering number.

There are huge problems because of urbanization, for example city poverty is a big problem. The city has crumbling public transport which is not able to meet the needs of the common people, so many people turn to private transport which puts a strain on the Infrastructure. Crime has gone up as the difference between the rich and poor is widening.

Sustainable development is the only solution to any new growing city, where the government needs to think of the needs of the common man.

Living in this nation's Mega Capital Tokyo suburb, the Principal Voices forum has missed one major key point of urban failure: real estate land sharking and money laundering housing sales, incidents including fake earthquake-proof housing.

These are main elements blocking success in the Japanese Mega Cities urban renewal plan, in particuluar, slow improvement of conventional commuter rail and subway networking in favor of bland elevated express highway systems during past three decades. Today, these roadway systems are altogether obsolete.

I don't live in an MUR and don't think I would like to. The best solution to problems in developing nations like India is for the government to improve infrastructure and create better paying jobs in rural areas, so less people would be forced to migrate to MURs for a better life.

Let's face it; most people from rural areas are not thrilled by the idea of moving to Bombay/New Delhi only to find themselves living in slums. They are desperate and have no choice.

I wanted to make a comment to Achandra.

Of course, the best solution to problems in developing nations like India is for the government to improve infrastructure and create better-paying jobs in rural areas, so fewer people would be forced to migrate to MURs for a better life.

But in my point of view we have to stay realistic. I will talk from my experience and my knowledge from what I know here in Cairo.

You raised a solution for the government, but I think we have to say how the government should provide better infrastructure. So my idea is that the people have to pay taxes to ensure the government has money to build better infrastructure and create better-paying jobs.

Because at the moment, 5% of the Egyptian population pays taxes and we are a population over 70 million!! So I think when everyone begins to pay taxes we will be able to ensure that all people in Cairo will have a much better life.

As an example we have to see Germany -- they have some of the highest taxes in the world and at the same time very good social coverage.

If every emerging city bases its transport system on the model of Hong Kong, they will be in wonderful shape.

But even though Hong Kong's urban transport planners have done an amazing job, (most notably privatizing its subway system and providing legal means to ensure its profitability), Chinese law limits Hong Kong planners' ability to coordinate with cities on the mainland, such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

Shanghai seems to be learning much from Hong Kong's planners, but its transport infrastructure remain decades behind that of Hong Kong and its enormous area and huge population will make the development of an efficient transport system that much more difficult.

I live in the urban sprawl of sunny San Diego. A very wealthy and expensive part of the world, where you can get anything you want at a price.

There are too many people to have any real quality contact with anyone for any length of time. And you have to use your car because where you work is an hour from where you live.

This of course is because the US$ 80,000 dollars me and my husband make per year is still not enough to buy a home near our work places.

We will eventually need to restructure our society to involve smaller communities, where people can live and work on a smaller scale. What is the use of all of our wealth and technology and advancement if we still have to work 10 hours a day and commute an hour each way to work?

When do we get to see the fruits of our labors, what our parents and grandparents have sacrificed to give us a better life? Maybe our children or grand or great grandchildren will enjoy it. And for what?

Everyone's just trying to get along. They're trying to give their children what they need and make sure that we live comfortably and with out pain. But there is a very fine line between starving in Africa and the material gorging, ie spiritual anorexia of Southern California.