Inclusive Recovery Cities – Creating a Thriving Recovery Ecosystem

Inclusive Recovery Cities was developed by Professor David Best and Professor Charlotte Colman, based on the idea that recovery from substance use and alcohol is not limited to the individual or to clinical treatment, but is about communities that actively promote, support, and enable long-term recovery and social integration. This means that for recovery to flourish, we need to move beyond the confined, structured settings of clinics and treatment centres and bring life into the community itself. In so doing, we demonstrate how recovery can be visible, inclusive, and embedded in daily life. At its heart is a simple proposition: long-term recovery thrives when communities make room for people to belong, contribute, and be seen as full citizens.

At its core, the recovery city model builds on the foundation of Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC), which emphasises that coordinated networks of services and relationships that support long-term recovery are accessible within communities. Recovery researcher, William White, who co-developed the concept of ROSC, explained it as "the complete network of indigenous and professional services and relationships that can support the long-term recovery of individuals and families, and the creation of values and policies in the larger cultural and policy environment that are supportive of these recovery processes”.

Recovery Cities, often described as ROSC++, expanded on White’s Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care by incorporating elements of innovation, social enterprise, and service to give back. David Best describes Inclusive Recovery Cities as  “a city where the implementation of recovery models and principles makes the city a better place to live for everyone, and which implements an ROSC at a city level”.

Recovery cities strive to make recovery visible, celebrated and accepted. Much of this is done through public-facing events that celebrate recovery, such as recovery walks and recovery festivals. As more people in recovery interact with the community, civic participation increases, bridging gaps, challenging stigma, and expanding access to community resources.

In the end, recovery is not just a component within the city; it is now integrated into the community and integral to its wellbeing and flourishing. The normalisation of recovery and the challenging of stigma reduces exclusion. As recovery starts contributing to all aspects of city life, it builds collective efficacy and strong recovery community capital, which bolsters recovery.

To date, there are around 30 inclusive cities worldwide, many of which are in the UK and Europe. The Balkan region alone has 14 recovery cities. The model is now slowly spreading beyond Europe into the United States, Canada, South Africa and Australia.

One such example is the city of Middlesbrough. Their story of embracing recovery has inspired many others to do the same. Read the powerful story of Building an Inclusive Recovery City in Middlesbrough.

Resources:

Building Inclusive Recovery Cities: An international movement for community building, recovery and prevention.
Building Inclusive Recovery Cities: Generating community connection and community resilience to improve prevention and early intervention ( David Best)

A guide to Building Recovery Cities Inclusive Cities Starter Pack
Website: https://www.inclusivecities.info