Criminal exploitation of property development: the role of peripherality

The paper deals with the infiltration of mafia-type organised criminal groups [OCGs] with regard to property development in peripheral areas. It has two main aims. Firstly, to shed light on the fact that, contrary to what has been frequently argued about the lack of interest for real estate development by mafia groups, OCGs often become active agents of this industry. Secondly, to identify those place-bound aspects that foster OCGs infiltration in real estate development. To this end, the article reviews recent instances of OCGs infiltration in the sphere of property development in the non-traditional mafia area of northern Italy. By focusing on two small municipalities, Brescello and Desio, the article offers insight into the factors that make peripheral areas an attractive property market for place-embedded criminal organisations such as mafias – that is: stagnation, low complexity and low competition of the local property market, and the ease of infiltrating the local political and bureaucratic spheres thus shaping directly urban planning decisions.