There may be only one Sustainable Development Goal on cities, but urban areas are touched in one way or another by all the goals, and many are at the forefront of finding sustainable solutions.

On the sidelines of the UN Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador, we spoke to experts and regular citizens on how cities are important to all SDGs. Click on each issue to learn more about each topic.

Urban Design

Sheila Sri Prakash - Architect (India)

Connectivity

Joachim Schonowski - Deutsche Telecom AG (Germany)

New Urban Agenda

UNDP Administrator Helen Clark

City challenges

Parks Tau, new president of the United Cities and Local Governments (South Africa)

Private-public partnerships

Joachim Schonowski - Deutsche Telecom AG (Germany)

Recycling and waste management

Ricardo Valencia Ramirez, Iniciativa Regional para el Reciclaje Inclusivo (Colombia)

Mayors and sustainable development

Parks Tau, new president of the United Cities and Local Governments (South Africa)

Innovation

Fiona McCluney, UNDP Montenegro

Urban Recycling and Decent Jobs

Laura Guanaluisa, Red Nacional de Recicladores Ecuador

Smart cities and the developing world

Vincent N. Kitio, chief of Urban Energy Unit, UN-Habitat

Road Safety

UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh

International city standards

Luisa Marsal - Future Cities Catapult (Spain)

Youth involvement

Samantha, 13 (Mexico)

Inclusion

Ali Loutfy - Disabled Person's International Arab Region Bureau

Cities achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General United Cities and Local Governments Africa