Conceptions of Space in the Evolution of a Gridded and an Organic Town: Bloemfontein and Kimberley, South Africa

Writers argue that the gridiron and axial arrangement were the most important ordering devices of the colonial town in South Africa. In this paper, we suggest that power can be expressed in both ordered and organic urban built forms, drawing on developmental stages of two case study cities: Bloemfontein and Kimberley, South Africa. Drawing on the theory of natural movement and Space Syntax analysis, we develop an argument that socio-political and socio-economic relationships find expression through space. We demonstrate how the physical layout of power systems is maintained over time by the configurational properties of space.