The rush to leave the countryside for cities in the past used to leave the current President of the UN General Assembly feeling heartbroken.

Speaking from personal experience, Peter Thomson said that rural development projects used to go to waste thanks to depopulation in poorer countries, until the arrival of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.

His passionate support for the SDGs came to the fore during a walkabout to visit some of the more imaginative new urban projects on display at the Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador, taking place this week.

Matthew Wells went along with Mr Thomson, to find out why he believes the New Urban Agenda is so important for the planet.

Duration: 3'54"