A proposed green area near Sejingkat Bridge in Kota Samarahan is intended to give urban families more room outdoors, with Sarawak planning to protect the land from future development. Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg outlined the proposal at the Sarawak Urban Forum at Hikmah Exchange Event Centre in Kuching on Oct 26, DayakDaily reported. The forum venue is not the location of the proposed green space. He described the Samarahan area as twice the size of London’s Hyde Park and said it would be planted with native tree species. The comparison was his description of the plan, not an announced surveyed acreage. The state intends to gazette the land so future development does not encroach on it. This is a land-protection proposal, rather than an announcement that a new park has opened or that legal protection is already in force. Abang Johari linked the need for public green space to smaller urban homes and families seeking places to spend time together. For residents, the consequential steps are the formal land designation and details of public access; his remarks did not set an opening date.

Heritage assessment should come before major development decisions in Sarawak, rather than after plans have already been settled, Deputy Minister Len Talif Salleh said at a Kuching gathering on Oct 21. His call places the focus on when a site is assessed, not simply whether its buildings or landscape are discussed later. The assessment he described would identify a site’s heritage value, its significance to the community and the likely effect of a proposed development. DayakDaily reported his remarks from the Sarawak Public Communication Unit. He was speaking at the ICOMOS gathering at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching. Len Talif, the deputy minister responsible for urban planning, land administration and environment, also called for closer work between heritage bodies, planners, environmental institutions, councils, researchers and community leaders. For owners and communities facing future proposals, the distinction is between considering heritage while choices remain open and trying to protect it only after key decisions. These remarks set out a planning approach; the reported speech did not announce a new statutory approval rule or a specific project restriction.

An 11-member delegation from Lahore's urban authorities and UNICEF Pakistan visited Kuching South City Council on October 8 to examine how children's views can feed into city planning. The exchange at MBKS headquarters included discussions with members of the Kuching South Child Council, not just a meeting between officials. Six delegates came from the Lahore Development Authority, two from other Lahore urban authorities and three from UNICEF Pakistan. Their study visit looked at the governance arrangements behind child-friendly planning and how those arrangements translate into public spaces, community facilities and participation. MBKS described school safety audits, road safety campaigns and peer-led school engagement among its existing activities. These give children opportunities to identify everyday problems and propose improvements, while the Child Council provides a structured place for their views to enter municipal discussions. The council also stressed that it works with other government agencies and community partners because not every issue affecting children falls within a local authority's remit. The visit was an exchange of planning experience; the October 8 announcement did not launch a new enrolment scheme or commit funding to specific crossings, parks or facilities.

Kuching North has completed a five-year Low Carbon Masterplan with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), giving DBKU a framework for its next phase of emissions-reduction work. The detailed programme will be unveiled on October 24. Mayor of Kuching North Hilmy Othman announced the completed study at an October 8 press conference at Lebuh Java. He said the plan would support the city's 2030 targets and be launched during the Sarawak Urban Forum 2.0. A completed plan is not the same as achieved emissions cuts. Hilmy described net-zero or zero emissions as the longer-term direction, rather than announcing that Kuching North had reached it. For households and businesses, the October 24 disclosure is the next useful milestone: it should show how the planning framework translates into measures and implementation. The announcement did not specify new household obligations, charges, a programme budget or a date for reaching net zero.