"Necessary crime" and Illegal Markets. A political perspective

This work explores the intricate relationship between power mechanisms and social exclusion processes, shedding light on the shifting spatial dynamics of deviance. It building on current management practices, it hypothesizes the existence of a latent social and institutional mechanism through which deviance and certain types of criminality (Necessary crime) are confined to specific spaces, referred to as "Interdiction areas.""—These areas, whether embedded in the urban fabric (Shadow Space) or at its margins (No Law Zone), tolerate a range of deviant behaviors (such as prostitution) and illicit economic activities (such as drug trafficking), which, for ethical or legal reasons, cannot be negotiated openly, but they do exist because there is still significant demand for the services they offer. These areas, which are publicly condemned and strongly opposed in the collective imagination, are in fact tolerated and represent the hidden side of the city—the unspoken and repressed shadow. Their existence serves a paradoxical function: maintaining the illusion of moral integrity and adherence to societal norms.