Covid-19 had a devastating impact on every part of the world. Cities were the epi-centers of coronavirus transmission and fatality. This has raised questions on the ‘survival of the city’ and the role of ‘density’ in catalyzing economic growth, social capital formation, and human development. The questions are misleading for developing countries that are destined to go a long way to complete the development transition with rural-urban transformation. They conceal the failure of urban policymakers and administrators to prepare for and effectively manage pandemics. In fact, cities in the past have tackled pandemics far worse than Covid-19 and bounced back. This paper delves into the history of pandemics and how disease-ravaged cities shaped urban morphology, developing a strong public health foundation, undertaking spatial planning innovation, facilitating housing for the poor, building institutions, and investing in science, including epidemiology, disease control, and management methods. The objective of the paper is to learn lessons for cities in the developing world to become pandemic-resilient and sustainable so that they act as engines of growth as did cities in developed countries. We suggest broad directions for urban policy reforms, covering public health, spatial planning, infrastructure development, governance, and disaster management.