In this article I discuss the significance of the temporal-spatial figure of transition in relation to spatial planning and environmental planning. This discussion is based on the theory that change and renewal can be found in intermediate spaces. I consider the positive value accorded to the spatial figure of transition in the discourses of ecology, environmental education and town planning. The integrative function of transition as a liminal space of possibility was highlighted early on in feminist planning debates. This function corresponds to the sustainable development model and is evidently inherent in the figure of transition. I therefore suggest that these debates should be used constructively in current research on sustainability, especially in the planning sciences.