New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS): German automobile major BMW Wednesday said it will start an unique initiative in Mumbai and cities around the world to address the problems arising out of increasing population and inadequate facilities and come up with solutions to create sustainable metros.

The BMW-Guggenheim initiative is designed as a mobile laboratory, which will explore new ideas and help in the creation of solutions to make city life easier.

"We wanted one venue of the first cycle of the lab to be in Asia and after careful deliberation, we selected Mumbai. A vibrant, diverse city, it is the most populous city in India and the world," said Richard Armstrong, director of Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum which will conduct the research with the automobile major.

"It will be an endlessly rewarding place to explore and create dialogue around a range of urban issues," he added.

The six-year project aims to cover nine major cities worldwide on a mobile lab which will travel three cities in phases. The first phase will cover New York, Berlin and Mumbai.

"The theme for cycle 1 is confronting comfort. Will explore how urban environments can be made more responsive to people's needs, how people can feel at ease in an urban environment," BMW said in a statement.