urban-design-skills

Urban Design Skills

A Claude Code Skills Plugin by Abhinav Bhardwaj

18 interconnected skills covering urban design theory, quantitative standards, and computational tools. Draws from 40+ theorists, 6 sustainability certification systems, 5 international frameworks, and hundreds of numeric benchmarks. Includes 7 Python calculators for density, FAR, walkability, parking, green space, block optimization, and cost estimation.

35,000+ lines | 75 files | 18 skills | 7 Python calculators

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Table of Contents

• Quick Start
• How It Works
• Skills Reference
  • Foundation
  • Analysis & Research
  • Design & Generation
  • Technical & Compliance
  • Production & Tools
• Urban Calculator
• Knowledge Base
• Architecture
• Example Prompts
• Author & License

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Quick Start

Option 1: Use as a Plugin

claude --plugin-dir "/path/to/Urban Design Skills"

Option 2: Copy to Your Project

cp -r skills/ your-project/.claude/skills/

Once installed, just ask Claude anything about urban design. The system activates automatically - no slash commands required for most tasks.

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How It Works

Urban Design Skills uses a progressive disclosure architecture to stay lean while encoding deep knowledge:

User asks anything about urban design
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        v
urban-design-foundations (auto-fires, invisible to user)
  - Applies baseline knowledge from 40+ frameworks
  - Routes to specialized skills as needed
        |
        v
Specialized skill loads (e.g., street-design, masterplan-design)
  - Follows structured workflow
  - Loads deep reference files on demand
        |
        v
urban-calculator provides precise computations when needed
  - 6 Python scripts for density, FAR, walkability, parking,
    green space, and block optimization

Three-Layer Context Management

Layer	What Loads	When	Size
Layer 0	Skill names + descriptions only	Always in context	~16KB
Layer 1	Full SKILL.md body	On skill invocation	~350-670 lines each
Layer 2	Reference files, templates	Only when explicitly needed	Varies

This keeps the context window efficient. Claude never loads knowledge it doesn't need for the current task.

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Skills Reference

1. Foundation (Auto-Activated)

urban-design-foundations

Invocation: Automatic (invisible to user) - Claude-only, not user-invocable

The foundation layer. Auto-fires on any urban design context and provides:

• Theorist Quick-Reference Matrix - 14+ theorists with key contributions, principles, and application contexts
• Quantitative Rules of Thumb - 35+ metrics with min/optimal/max values (density, FAR, block dimensions, street widths, H:W ratios, green space, walkability, parking, and more)
• Movement Frameworks - New Urbanism, TOD, Complete Streets, 15-Minute City, Smart Growth, Space Syntax, CPTED, Biophilic Urbanism
• Climate Zone Summary - Hot-arid, tropical, temperate, cold strategies at a glance
• Design Quality Criteria Checklist - Gehl + Bentley + PPS + Healthy Streets composite
• Anti-Pattern Catalog - Common urban design failures and how to avoid them
• Skill Router - Decision tree that activates specialized skills based on user context

Reference files (loaded on demand):

• theorists-and-movements.md - Full treatment of all theorists and modern movements
• quantitative-standards.md - Complete numeric standards organized by category
• global-frameworks.md - UN-Habitat, WHO, C40, NACTO, ITDP, TfL, PPS
• rules-of-thumb.md - Quick-lookup tables for 10+ design situations

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2. Analysis & Research

site-analysis

Invocation: /site-analysis or auto-activates on site analysis context

Multi-scale site analysis framework operating at three scales:

• Regional - Economic drivers, transport networks, growth corridors
• Neighborhood - Street network, land use patterns, community facilities
• Site - Topography, microclimate, boundaries, constraints, opportunities

Includes a 10-step analysis workflow with checklists, 12 analysis layers (topography, hydrology, climate, ecology, transport, utilities, zoning, heritage, noise, views, access, social), and a complete site analysis report template.

Reference files: analysis-layers.md, data-sources.md Templates: site-analysis-report.md

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design-evaluation

Invocation: /design-evaluation or auto-activates on evaluation context

Composite 30-criteria scorecard synthesizing the best of:

• Jan Gehl's 12 Quality Criteria
• Ian Bentley's 7 Responsive Environments
• PPS Placemaking principles
• CPTED safety principles
• Transport for London Healthy Streets

Each criterion has a 1-5 scoring rubric with clear descriptors. Total score out of 150, with thresholds for Poor / Below Average / Good / Very Good / Excellent. Includes quantitative benchmark checking against 15 exemplar projects worldwide.

Reference files: evaluation-criteria.md, benchmarks.md

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precedent-study

Invocation: /precedent-study or auto-activates on precedent/case study context

Systematic case study methodology with:

• 5-dimension analysis framework - Context, design, performance, process, transferability
• Selection criteria - How to choose relevant precedents
• Built-in database of 30+ exemplar projects - Vauban, Hammarby, Masdar, Poundbury, HafenCity, King's Cross, Eixample, and more
• Data collection protocol - Site visits, photography, interviews
• Transferability rubric - How to adapt lessons to new contexts

Reference files: methodology.md

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3. Design & Generation

masterplan-design

Invocation: /masterplan-design only (user-triggered, not auto-activated)

The main orchestrator. Runs an 8-phase masterplan workflow that invokes 7 other skills as needed:

1. Brief & Vision - Program, goals, constraints
2. Site Analysis - Invokes site-analysis
3. Framework Design - Movement network, block structure, open space system
4. Land Use & Density - Invokes block-and-density + mixed-use-programming
5. Street Design - Invokes street-design
6. Public Space - Invokes public-space-design
7. Technical Resolution - Invokes climate-responsive-design + zoning-and-codes
8. Evaluation & Iteration - Invokes design-evaluation + sustainability-scoring

Covers greenfield, brownfield, and infill scenarios. Includes design parameter ranges by context (suburban to urban core), phasing strategies, and implementation roadmaps.

Reference files: design-process.md, typologies.md (10 neighborhood typologies), phasing-strategies.md Templates: masterplan-report.md

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street-design

Invocation: /street-design or auto-activates on street/road design context

Complete streets design using NACTO standards:

• Street hierarchy classification with right-of-way dimensions
• Cross-section design methodology - Building face to building face, with ASCII diagram generation
• Complete NACTO element dimensions table - Lanes, sidewalks, bike facilities, medians, parking, buffers, transit
• Intersection design - Signalized, roundabouts, raised, mini-circles
• Traffic calming toolkit - 15+ interventions with selection guidance
• 13 street typologies - Boulevard, avenue, main street, residential, shared space, woonerf, and more

Reference files: nacto-standards.md, street-typologies.md, intersection-design.md

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public-space-design

Invocation: /public-space-design or auto-activates on parks/plaza/public space context

Parks, plazas, and waterfronts using Gehl's 12 Quality Criteria and PPS Placemaking:

• 12 space typologies - Civic plaza, neighborhood park, pocket park, linear park, waterfront, playground, community garden, and more
• 6-step design process - Analysis, programming, concept, detail, management, evaluation
• Dimensional standards - Plaza sizing (min 15m width), seating ratios (1 seat per 3m of edge), tree canopy targets (40-60%)
• Programming guide - Activity types, user groups, seasonal programming, event infrastructure
• Service radii - 400m for neighborhood parks, 2km for district parks

Reference files: space-typologies.md, gehl-criteria.md, programming-guide.md

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block-and-density

Invocation: /block-and-density or auto-activates on block/density context

Urban block typologies and density optimization:

• 15 block typologies - Perimeter, courtyard, tower-on-podium, slab, row house, mews, superblock, kampung, and more - with full dimensional specs
• Density calculation methodology - Site area to GFA to FAR to units to population, with worked examples
• Height-density trade-offs - How the same FAR can be achieved with different height/coverage combinations
• Daylight and solar access rules - BRE guidelines, courtyard proportions, spacing ratios
• 9-typology quick matrix - For rapid selection by context

Reference files: block-typologies.md, density-metrics.md, far-calculations.md

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mixed-use-programming

Invocation: /mixed-use-programming or auto-activates on land use/programming context

Land use programming and mix optimization:

• Land use categories with subcategories - Residential (6 types), Commercial (5), Civic (4), Open Space (4)
• Mix optimization framework - Demand-based, supply-based, standards-based approaches
• Recommended ratios by context - CBD, urban center, neighborhood center, suburban
• Retail sizing - Expenditure-based methodology, floorspace-per-capita norms
• Community facility requirements - Schools, health, libraries, recreation by population threshold
• Vertical mixed-use rules - Ground floor activation, upper floor compatibility, servicing

Reference files: land-use-guide.md

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tod-design

Invocation: /tod-design or auto-activates on transit-oriented development context

Transit-oriented development using ITDP TOD Standard 3.0:

• TOD typology by transit mode - Metro, LRT, BRT, bus with appropriate density ranges
• ITDP 8 Principles - Walk, Cycle, Connect, Transit, Mix, Densify, Compact, Shift - with full scoring
• Density-distance gradient - Graduated intensification from 0-200m through 600-800m from station
• 21 scoring indicators - Complete ITDP v3.0 evaluation framework
• First-last mile design - Pedestrian and cycling access to transit
• Station area design - Interchange, forecourt, wayfinding, commercial activation
• Parking management - Maximum ratios, shared parking, park-and-ride sizing

Reference files: itdp-standard.md, tod-typologies.md

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mobility-and-transport

Invocation: /mobility-and-transport or auto-activates on transport/mobility context

Comprehensive mobility and transport planning:

• Trip generation tables - ITE 11th Edition rates for 25+ land use types (residential, commercial, civic, hospitality)
• Mode split framework - Target mode splits by 7 context types, 10 mode shift levers with evidence-based effectiveness
• Street network connectivity - 6 metrics (intersection density, link-node ratio, route directness, cul-de-sac %)
• Transit planning - Mode selection (metro/LRT/BRT/bus), coverage standards, stop spacing, station area design
• Cycling network design - CROW 5 requirements, infrastructure selection by road context, parking standards
• Pedestrian accessibility - Walking catchments, Fruin pedestrian LOS, crossing standards