This thesis presents a street network and built form analysis of the urbanisation of four peripheral areas of London as they transformed from satellite settlements to parts of the continuous urban fabric of London over 130 years. The analysis is carried out by applying and combining space syntax and GIS techniques to chart the changing structures of network centrality through time, and how this relates to the built form, as they co-evolved. Through these methods an understanding of the factors that have contributed to the current spatial form of the case studies is developed. In taking an historical view of the urbanisation of the fringes of the London this thesis unpacks the spatial characteristics of areas characterised as ‘suburban’, revealing the specific spatial and architectural forms they have developed. It is shown that peripheral areas cannot be characterised as generically suburban and great variation exists within this simplistic categorisation. The development of transport infrastructures based around motor vehicles are shown to be reflected in the transformation of built form, both at the household and community level, illustrating the interdependence of technological development, regional planning regimes and every- day life. Large-scale transport infrastructures that operate at a regional level are shown to have local impacts whilst local changes are shown to have cumulative effects that transform the spatial character of large areas. The analysis of the historical patterns and stages of urbanisation allow new insights into the contemporary city to be developed that are explicitly aware of the role of historical processes in shaping the spaces of the contemporary city and the environments that we experience today. It also enables questions about future adaptability to be approached with a better understanding of the emergence and evolution of peri-urban areas.