As an expression of the informal economy, the night market is not only a place that could attract locals to buy goods but also a place where tourists can experience the local characteristics. While the night market brought economic vitality to the city's economy, it also brought some issues. A comprehensive literature review of night markets revealed that existing studies paid less attention to outdoor night markets' spatial operations and waste management. Grounded in the connection between sustainability and night markets, the present study reflected on existing research findings by adopting different periods of fieldwork to conduct a case study of the night market in Jalan 17/1A, Selangor, Malaysia. The study focused on three aspects of night markets: spatial operations, waste, and waste recycling. It found that night market operations brought localized regional economic benefits while causing more severe pollution issues, significantly affecting the region's environmental health and sustainable development. The findings revealed that local government regulation of night market businesses in Malaysia is weak (the issuance of business licenses is informed of the operational guidelines), and there is also no relevant monitoring and penalties by the local government to intervene in the misbehavior of night market consumers. Based on the results of the field survey and combined with the concept of sustainable development, the present study recommended suggestions for the future spatial operation and waste management of night markets. Innovative and novel perspectives of the study combined qualitative observations and data analysis to comprehensively examine how spatial considerations and waste management strategies intersect in the unique context of night markets—aiming to fill the gaps in the sustainability of night market operations and to protect the ecology of the surrounding territorial environment, contributing to the discourse on sustainable development.

This study explores the correlation between the perceived importance of healthy city indicators and the satisfaction level towards the effectiveness of the government in creating a healthy city environment. Nineteen distinct healthy city indicators, categorised within 5 dimensions, were tested for their significance in relation to satisfaction levels towards the effectiveness of the local authority. The cross-sectional data collected from face-to-face questionnaire survey was analysed using Goodman and Kruskal's gamma, while controlling for socio-demographic variables (n=121). Significant indicators include; (i) improving accessibility to public spaces (β= .528, p= .004), recreational and commercial areas (β= .506, p= .001); (ii) increasing the availability of public transport (β= .398, p= .026) complemented by proper infrastructures and facilities (β= .305, p= .014), (iii) providing more variety of green spaces (β= .529, p= .004), and improving the continuity of green networks (β= .399, p= .015); (iv) introducing measures to improve the quality of housing, focusing on increasing occupants’ comfortability and healthy living (β= .474, p= .005); (v) facilitating better accessibility to business and commercial areas (β= .598, p= .000); (vi) improving street connectivity and increasing the number of intersections (β= .418, p= .002). Although this study only found a meaningful connection between the perceived importance of indicators and satisfaction levels towards the government without a comparative analysis against the current city condition, this does not negate the crucial role of subjective perceptions in the government’s efforts to manage public expectations. Studies of this nature provide opportunities for further exploration, particularly in involving public participation in the planning processes.

The current modal share between private and public transport in Malaysia still falls short of its 50:50 goal. The continued reliance on private transport for workplace travel faces further aggravation in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Aiming to understand this concern, this study pursued two key objectives; (i) to explore shifts in transport mode choices before and after Covid-19; and (ii) to identify the significant factors influencing these shifts. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, focusing specifically on workplace commuting (n=113). The McNemar’s test was used to determine the significance of transport mode shifts from public to private transport and vice versa, while the Mann-Whitney U test was employed to determine the significance of various factors on these shifts. Four primary factors were examined: cost, accessibility, comfort, and hygiene concerns. The findings showed that (i) a discernible shift in transport modes occurred (Q= 38.72, p>.05), with a notable trend of individuals transitioning from public to private transport due to the Covid-19 pandemic; (ii) hygiene concerns (mean rank= 72.36, U= 807.0, p<.000) and comfort (mean rank= 64.73, U= 1188.5, p= .013) emerged as statistically significant influencers of this shift; and (iii) while cost (mean rank= 65.28, U= 1053.5, p= .001) is an important determinant of transport mode preferences, it was not found to be a significant factor driving mode shifts. A comprehensive examination of pandemic-induced transport mode preferences yields crucial insights for shaping transportation infrastructure and services, facilitating sustainable development in line with UN SDGs. Understanding these influences is vital for effective policy-making and achieving desired modal shares.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, obesity is already a pandemic illness on its own. It has been a public health priority in developing countries especially Malaysia where the obesity rate in the country is one of the highest in South East Asia. Early studies have concurred that the presence of COVID-19 makes anatomising the obesity pandemic even more urgent as impaired metabolic health increase complications and mortality in COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 induced movement restriction orders and related policies by the Malaysia government are believed to have altered the country’s food and physical activity environments. The paper expanded the original Neighbourhood Environment, Health Behaviours and BMI (NEHB-BMI Model) where the pathways of neighbourhood obesogenic environment that reflects COVID-19 induced changes to the constructs from the perspective of Malaysia is presented. Through the discussion, three key variables were added to the model: 1) government environment; 2) establishment/business environment; and 3) individual psychosocial factors. Exploring the impacts of COVID-19 to the obesogenic environment constructs paves way to gauging insights by allowing associations between the presented variables to be tested in future studies, especially in the South East Asian region where such studies are very limited.

The neighborhood environment plays a crucial role in supporting children’s well-being and holistic development. Yet, in urban contexts where planning is largely adult-centric, access to safe and inclusive spaces remains unequal, particularly for children living in poverty. In Malaysia, residents of Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR), a low-income housing initiative, face spatial constraints and limited access to child-friendly outdoor environments. The children’s voices are often excluded from designing processes, despite their reliance on local environments for daily activity and growth. Therefore, this study explores the needs and preferences of children aged 7 to 12 from three PPR neighbourhoods in Kuala Lumpur using a multimodal qualitative approach, including focus group discussions and children’s drawings. A total of 23 children participated. Findings led to the development of a child-informed framework with six core pillars: Maintenance, Autonomy, Variety, Inclusivity, Nature, and Sensory (MAVINS), which reflect children’s priorities for enhancing environmental affordances. The MAVINS framework offers practical guidance for urban planners, housing authorities, and policymakers to design more inclusive neighbourhoods that uphold children’s rights and support their holistic development. This study contributes to the discourse on child-friendly urbanism and highlights directions for future research.