My professor seems to be focusing on two things to make the optimal design:
That's an issue right there. There's no such thing as 'optimal design' in planning, and trying to plan in such a way is a recipe for failure due to market effects.
Row houses and "walkability".
I'd first start by looking at areas with a lot of row houses. Baltimore and Philly come to mind.
And is there a Neufert equal of urban planning ?
Nope. See my 'optimal design' comment. However, a few organizations have put out guides about what they deemed to be best practices. I don't have them handy because I don't use them personally. But I have in the past. Look up American Planning Association (APA), National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), and StrongTowns for a few.