Despite a commitment to the concept of sustainability, the socio--ecological transformation in the region of Dessau in Saxony-Anhalt progresses sluggishly. The project Blocked Transition? Creating Thinking and Action Space for Sustainable Regional Development investigates the impediments of moving towards sustainable development in the region through the perspective of gender. The article follows and argues the project's thesis that, based on the results of gender studies, approaches towards new patterns of thinking and action for sustainability can be found.