Urban Climate Tools - GitHub Pages Site

🌍 Overview

Urban Climate Tools is an interactive, searchable database of open-source solutions for building climate-resilient cities. This is the GitHub Pages site—a static Jekyll site showcasing tools, case studies, and resources for municipal leaders, planners, and communities worldwide.

Live Site: https://mk-ws-git.github.io/Urban-Climate-Tools/

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🎯 Key Features

📊 Tool Catalog

• 12+ curated climate adaptation tools
• Real-time search across name, category, developer
• Multi-dimensional filtering:
  • Category: Heat management, flood risk, coastal resilience, green infrastructure, planning, data, energy
  • Cost: Free, Freemium, Paid
  • Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
  • Geographic Coverage: Local, City, National, Global

📚 Case Studies

• 8 real-world implementation examples from cities worldwide
• Search by city, country, climate challenge
• Filter by:
  • Climate Challenge: Urban heat, flooding, sea level rise, water scarcity, air pollution
  • Sector: Urban planning, green infrastructure, transportation, water management, energy
  • Region: North America, South America, Europe, Asia

🎨 Design

• Swiss Minimalist Design: Clean, grid-based layout with generous white space
• Responsive: Mobile-first approach works on all devices
• Accessible: WCAG AA compliant with semantic HTML
• Fast: Static site hosted on GitHub Pages (< 2 second load times)

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🚀 Quick Start

View Locally

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/mk-ws-git/Urban-Climate-Tools.git
cd Urban-Climate-Tools

# Install dependencies
bundle install

# Serve locally
bundle exec jekyll serve

# Open http://localhost:4000

View Online

Visit: https://mk-ws-git.github.io/Urban-Climate-Tools/

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📁 Site Structure

├── index.md                      # Homepage with featured content
├── tools.md                      # Tool catalog with search/filter
├── case-studies.md              # Case study browser with filters
├── about.md                      # About page with FAQs
│
├── _data/
│   ├── tools.yml                # 12 tools with metadata
│   ├── case_studies.yml         # 8 case studies with outcomes
│   └── meta.yml                 # Site metadata, categories, stats
│
├── _tools/                      # Individual tool pages
│   ├── climate-central.md
│   ├── i-tree.md
│   └── ... (collection items)
│
├── _case_studies/               # Individual case study pages
│   ├── norfolk-coastal-resilience.md
│   └── ... (collection items)
│
├── _layouts/
│   ├── default.html             # Base template
│   ├── tool.html                # Tool detail page
│   ├── case-study.html          # Case study page
│   └── category.html            # Category listing
│
├── _includes/
│   ├── head.html                # Meta tags, SEO, stylesheets
│   ├── nav.html                 # Navigation bar
│   ├── footer.html              # Site footer
│   ├── tool-card.html           # Tool card component
│   └── tool-sidebar.html        # Tool sidebar component
│
├── assets/
│   ├── css/
│   │   ├── style.css            # Core styles (CSS variables)
│   │   ├── nav.css              # Navigation/footer
│   │   ├── typography.css       # Font system
│   │   └── cards.css            # Card components
│   ├── js/
│   │   ├── filters.js           # Tool filtering & search
│   │   └── case-study-filters.js # Case study filtering
│   └── images/                  # Logos, icons, placeholders
│
├── _config.yml                  # Jekyll configuration
├── Gemfile                      # Ruby dependencies
└── README.md                    # This file

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🛠 Technologies

• Framework: Jekyll (static site generator)
• Hosting: GitHub Pages
• Languages: Markdown, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, YAML
• Design System: CSS variables, mobile-first responsive
• Performance: < 100KB total CSS, minimal JavaScript

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📚 Content

Tools Database

Each tool includes:

• Name, developer, description
• Categories, cost model, skill level
• Geographic coverage
• Direct links, GitHub repo, API docs
• Real-world use cases

Case Studies

Each case study features:

• City, location, year of implementation
• Climate challenges addressed
• Solutions and tools used
• Key outcomes and statistics
• Lessons learned
• Replication potential

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🔍 Search & Filtering

Tools Page

Search: Real-time across all tool fields
Filters:
  • Category (8 options)
  • Cost tier (3 options)
  • Skill level (3 options)
  • Coverage area (4 options)

Case Studies Page

Search: By city, country, challenge
Filters:
  • Climate challenge (5 options)
  • Implementation sector (5+ options)
  • Global region (5 options)

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🎨 Design System

Color Palette

Primary Blue:     #0051BA
Secondary Blue:   #F0F4FF (light background)
Accent Cyan:      #00D4FF
Text:             #1a1a1a
Border Gray:      #E5E5E5
Light Gray:       #F5F5F5

Typography

• Font Family: System stack (-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto)
• Scale: 12px → 48px
• Line Height: 1.2 (tight) to 2 (loose)
• Weights: 400 (regular), 500 (medium), 600 (semibold), 700 (bold)

Components

• Buttons: Primary, secondary, large, small
• Badges: Category tags, status indicators
• Cards: Tool cards, case study cards, showcase cards
• Forms: Search input, filter checkboxes
• Navigation: Top bar with responsive hamburger menu

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📱 Responsive Design

Breakpoint	Device	Layout
1200px+	Desktop	Multi-column, full features
768px-1024px	Tablet	2-3 columns, adapted filters
< 768px	Mobile	Single column, hamburger menu

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🔐 Accessibility

• ✅ Semantic HTML5 structure
• ✅ WCAG AA color contrast
• ✅ Keyboard navigation support
• ✅ Screen reader friendly
• ✅ Mobile touch-friendly (48px+ targets)
• ✅ No ARIA misuse

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🔗 SEO & Performance

SEO Features

• Meta descriptions on all pages
• Open Graph tags for social sharing
• Canonical URLs
• Mobile-responsive
• Fast page load (< 2 seconds)

Performance Targets

• Lighthouse score: 90+
• Core Web Vitals: All green
• Total CSS: < 100KB
• No render-blocking resources

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🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! To help:

Add a New Tool

1. Edit _data/tools.yml (add entry)
2. Create _tools/tool-id.md with details
3. Test locally: bundle exec jekyll serve
4. Submit pull request

Add a Case Study

1. Edit _data/case_studies.yml (add entry)
2. Create _case_studies/study-id.md with content
3. Add image to assets/images/
4. Submit pull request

Report Issues

• Use GitHub Issues tab
• Describe broken links, missing content, design issues
• Include screenshots or browser info

Suggest Improvements

• Discussions tab for ideas
• Feedback on user experience
• New features or tools to showcase

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📋 Content Guidelines

Tools

• Keep descriptions concise (2-3 sentences)
• Link to official website and GitHub
• Be honest about cost and skill requirements
• Include real use cases

Case Studies

• Tell a compelling story
• Include specific outcomes and statistics
• Explain lessons learned
• Link tools used in the project
• Provide sources and references

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🚀 Deployment

Build & Deploy

# Build locally
bundle exec jekyll build

# Deploy to GitHub Pages
git subtree push --prefix _site origin gh-pages

Automatic Deployment

GitHub Actions can auto-build when you push to main:

• Create .github/workflows/build.yml
• See DEPLOYMENT_CHECKLIST.md for full setup

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📊 Site Statistics

• Total Tools: 12
• Total Case Studies: 8
• Featured Tools: 6
• Featured Case Studies: 3
• Categories: 8
• Lines of Code: 5000+
• Data Entries: 20+
• Stylesheets: 4
• JavaScript Files: 2

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📞 Support & Contact

• Email: info@urbanclimate.tools
• GitHub Issues: Report bugs
• Discussions: Ask questions
• Documentation: See IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md and SITE_README.md

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📄 License

MIT License - All content openly available for reuse with attribution.

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🎯 Future Roadmap

• Add 10+ more tools
• Create 5+ additional case studies
• Develop tool comparison matrix
• Add video demonstrations
• Create interactive climate scenario tool
• Build partner organization directory
• Launch community forums
• Create mobile app

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📚 Resources

• Jekyll Documentation
• GitHub Pages Guide
• YAML Documentation
• Markdown Guide

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Built with ❤️ for climate resilience
Last Updated: January 17, 2026
Status: 🟢 Live & Maintained