Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam with a population of 8.4 million. It is located in the south of Vietnam and is at the core centre of Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area, which has a population that exceeds 20 million, 16 million of whom live in urban areas. The city is currently undergoing a period of strong economic and population growth; as it is the economic and financial hub of Vietnam, it continues to attract migrants from other provinces.

Bangkok is Thailand’s capital city and biggest urban centre, and one of the world’s megacities. It is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR),which is further composed of the Bangkok Metropolitan Area (BMA) and its five adjacent provinces, covering an area of 7,758 km2. The rapid urban expansion of Bangkok, matched with its population growth over the past few decades, has left many issues unresolved. With the city struggling in maintaining pace with urbanisation trends and match it with the provision of the necessary public infrastructure.

Durban is located on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province in South Africa and eThekwini Municipality is the local government responsible for management and service provision across the eThekwini Municipal Area. Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa and the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. Durban forms part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and has a population of about 3.9 million.

Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa, hosting the Parliament, with a population currently estimated at 4,430,367, and an average annual population growth of 2.4 per cent. Like many South African cities, Cape Town is characterised by low urban densities of 1,629 people per square kilometre, and a net density of 17 dwelling units per hectare.

New Clark City is a new planned city currently being developed on a former military base in the Philippines by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and various private sector companies. The city is expected to be the country’s first smart, resilient and green metropolis. It aims to address growing environmental problems caused by climate change, by being disaster resilient in a region that has been heavily impacted by natural disasters.