what we did

Levers of Change

Levers can be described as points of leverage for making change and can be useful when undertaking complex social issues. Examples of levers can include legislation and standards, redefining how different partners work together, grants and contracts, and information sharing.

We are able to ‘pull’ a lever when we have reasonable control and influence over it. Through this journey, we have noticed that some levers might be easier to pull than others. We also started matching up levers with the kinds of improvements we wanted to see for urban wellness, like increased sense of safety and security and economic vitality. By identifying what we wanted to improve and getting input from where groups felt they had some influence to make things better, we were able to understand what it will take to see experiences of wellness improve for the  five communities.

Our holistic view of urban wellness was reflected by the diverse types of levers: System, Culture, Economic Vitality, Physical & Mental Health, Safety and Security, Built and Natural Environment, and Social Capacity.