At the 12th Session of the World Urban Forum in Cairo, the Quality of Life Initiative showcased how cities can rethink urban development through a human-centric lens. Our new knowledge document summarizes the strategic engagements at WUF12 and how this will inform our next steps, scaling up to 100 cities in 40 countries in 2025. In the synthesis, we share what we demonstrated at WUF, including leveraging cities as storytellers, forging strategic partnerships, and putting people and health at the heart of what we do.