Berlin Block Reform: Urban Morphology and Architectural Types for the Young Metropolis

This article investigates the potential of the block as a tool for sustainable and inclusive urban design. It aims to identify the morphological and typological principles that make the block a resilient structure, capable of ensuring density, spatial clarity, and a balanced relationship between public, collective, and private spheres. Focusing on reformed urban blocks built in Berlin between 1890 and 1940, this paper examines the intersection of urban morphology, housing reform, and metropolitan architecture, addressing them not primarily as historical objects, but as spatial and typological models relevant to contemporary urban challenges. The research is based on historical and archival sources, morphological analysis, typological classification, and the systematic redrawing of selected case studies at multiple scales, from the urban fabric to apartment layouts and architectural details. Exemplary cases were selected and redrawn in order to allow direct comparison and measurement of spatial and typological features. The results identify recurring block configurations, housing layouts, and architectural solutions that mediate density, livability, and urban clarity, showing the Berlin reform block as a lasting design paradigm that offers enduring lessons for contemporary challenges of density, sustainability, and urban quality.