Introduction: Resilience has in recent years become an established concept in dynamic systems analysis. It is also increasingly employed in dynamic spatial systems, such as cities. The present paper offers an evidence of resilience of urban systems after an external shock. It pays particular attention to natural disasters affecting a city´s system. A typology of different types of disasters and of related damage is presented, from a global perspective on the regional occurrence of such calamities. The cost and recovery potential after an external shock are statistically explored. It comes out that population size and density are critical parameters for the order of magnitude of disaster damage. The comprehensive approach to risk assessment, identification and management proposed in the paper serves to depict a desirable urban resilience pattern after an external shock.