This article reports on an attempt to implement regional design in a decarbonization transition in Lusatia, one of Germany’s lignite regions. As visioning tools, regional designs have great potential for application in coal-regions facing sustainability transitions. Through the implementation of the Lusatia 2050 Planning Lab, we find that the politically induced nature of the present transition, combined with regional factors, such its cross-border character and scepticism regarding sustainability, significantly modified the design and outcome of the method as applied. We note that the resistance to transformative goals by powerful actors administering transitions may prove an important impediment to their success.