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Serious question with the focus on URBAN! A couple of qualifiers I am not sure how to address (so just give your anecdote/experience) :
Free or paid? (how about the "pier" crapper in Slum Dog Millionaire? Any Roman-era toilets still in use?)
Part of a commercial establishment or a municipal service. (ie fast food joint pitstop vs government-funded roadside rest stop - do these exist outside of the US? The UK M-way ones are commercial right? But these aren't really urban.)
Are there urban standalone municipal toilets? The primary business is doing "the business" not waiting for a choo choo. (Not part of a rail station or other transport structure.)
This is not a fetish of mine - it's inspired by the "best public transportation" thread.
BTW, internet says 19 November is UN-designated "Toilet Day" to foster awareness/improvement of sanitary conditions.
I was surprised to have gotten around India for about 3 weeks without having to use the squat, except once on an intercity train. That one was pretty horrifying though - something was hanging from the hole. Gag.
You'll generally always find a relatively clean, hygienic, AND free toilet anywhere there's civilization in the U.S., except perhaps in Manhattan.
In Spain, it was difficult to find public restrooms, except at McDonalds. I was dying to go at BCN after consuming a large burrito at Newark the previous afternoon. I found the bathroom was free, but reeked of **** and stale cigarettes. The shared ones at the pensions and hostels I stayed in were always clean.
After crossing the border into Morocco, Western-style toilets were rare but not unheard of. The Hotel Majestic in Meknes, far from majestic, had disgusting toilets. The worst was probably at a hotel I stayed at in Marrakesh. One floor, one Turkish-style toilet! Absolutely gross. I was so relieved, after a morning of packing back up and stomach cramps, to find an immaculate Western-style toilet in RAK.
In southern Mexico there were usually separate sets of facilities at bus stations, one free and the other paid. It didn't make a difference; both often smelled bad and were moderately dirty. Notable across Mexican public conveniences (whether at restaurants, highway stops, etc.) is the absence of toilet seats. I didn't know that you could order toilets without seats!
This is one of those "creature comforts" that I think the U.S. excels in.
Tokyo... experiences ran the gamut from the porcelain squat toilet, to the conventional Western kind, to modern electronic bidet/toilet combination. I never knew what to expect.
England has some lovely old fashioned Victorian Toilets as manufactured by our famous Toilet Makers such as Thomas Crapper & Co as well as Armitage Shanks and others.
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