Introduction: The renaissance of administrative orders and the changing face of urban social control

The article analyses the development in a comparative perspective of civil,administrative hybrid, or semi-criminal regulations used in different European countries to address a wide range of urban issues and social problems, from minor crime to behaviour of young people. Similarities and differences among different countries are discussed, in particular with reference to processes of criminalization. The article shows how, despite differences in the legal nature, many of these new regulations share some common aspects in terms of: marginal people they are addressed to, policies they are based on and form of interaction with the crimina law. Their implication for the increase in urban control are discussed.