Pattern IDs
Every pattern in this guide carries a unique ID, shown on its Pattern ID card as described on the How to Read a Pattern page. This page explains what each part of that ID means, why it's structured the way it is, and what the status badge next to it tells you.
#The ID format
Every pattern ID follows a fixed format:
[PREFIX]-[CTXCODE]-[##]
For example, LOC-BBG-12, with an optional trailing (DENSITY) suffix once more than one page exists for the same Typology at different density tiers.
- PREFIX encodes Scale, covered in full below.
- CTXCODE is a short mnemonic for the specific Typology.
BBGstands for Bicycle Boulevard / Neighborhood Greenway, for example.DEFis reserved for each classification's baseline default entry. - [##] is a two-digit number assigned once, in the order the pattern was added to the guide. It never changes later, even if the pattern's position in the Pattern Index does.
#Scale prefixes
PREFIX is where the ID encodes Scale, one of nine values:
| Prefix | Meaning | Scale |
|---|---|---|
NET | Network | Network |
CDR | Corridor | Corridor |
LOC | Local | Segment/Intersection |
COL | Collector | Segment/Intersection |
ART | Arterial | Segment/Intersection |
FRE | Freeway | Segment/Intersection |
INT | Intersections & Crossings | Segment/Intersection |
FAC | Facility | Facility |
ELM | Element | Element |
Network, Corridor, Facility, and Element each get exactly one flat prefix, with no further subdivision. Segment/Intersection is the one Scale that subdivides, into five prefixes, because Functional Classification carries real design implications, speed, modal hierarchy, that the other four Scales don't yet have an equivalent for. That's also why every pattern page live in the guide today is a Segment/Intersection pattern: LOC, COL, ART, FRE, or INT.
See Scale Hierarchy for what each of the nine Scale prefixes actually covers, and Street Types & Classifications for what each Functional Classification and Typology means in plain language.
#Status badges
Where a status applies, it appears as a small badge next to the classification label on the Pattern ID card.
- Recommended is the quiet default, no color emphasis, since it's the unremarkable normal case.
- Situational reuses the amber warning color, meaning the pattern is real but context-dependent.
- Avoid reuses the rose danger color, meaning the Commonway System actively recommends against it.
Status is omitted entirely on Intersections & Crossings entries, since the master Typology reference doesn't track a status for those.
#How this connects to the rest of the guide
See Bicycle Boulevard / Neighborhood Greenway for a full worked example of a Pattern ID card in context, and the Pattern Index for every pattern currently in the guide.