Deltas are attractive locations for settlements due to their favourable conditions for food production and trade, which historically led to many deltas being urbanised. The urbanisation, polderisation and industrialisation of many deltas increases their vulnerability to climate change. The ‘Water as Leverage’ program aims to formulate innovative, bankable and implementable design proposals for urban water related challenges. This paper presents three design studies for the cities of Khulna, Chennai and Semarang, which are part of the ‘Water as Leverage for Resilient Cities Asia’ program, and seeks to address the complex water management and urban challenges with system-based design proposals. The three projects show how several water management measures on different scales can be combined in integral design proposals that, in addition to addressing climate change, also improve the urban quality and liveability of the cities.