Building resilient cities to withstand and recover from unexpected shocks and stresses caused by natural disasters and climate change is a growing concern in Asia due to the increasing frequency and severity of such events, and the vulnerability of the people and assets in the region. This session introduces how city governments are responding to these challenges by drawing case studies from four cities – Cebu (the Philippines), Nonthaburi (Thailand), Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam) and Shanghai (China) – and discusses what the cities' main objectives and focuses are, what cost-effective and practical approaches are adopted, what kind of technical input can enhance the disaster risk reduction capacity and how it can be effectively supplied externally and internally, and how disaster risk reduction and resilient city concepts can be integrated into city development plans and policies.