As the joint connecting urban and rural areas, the special ways are needed in the spatial urban planning & design of the urban marginal areas. Based on the cases of environmental planning in Harbin’s marginal area under urban expansion background, the paper discusses the interdependent and symbiotic relationship between city and natural environment, and explores the effective modes finding, changing and utilizing the value elements of suburban environment. Finally the paper puts forwards spatial planning & design strategies oriented in the discovery and utilization of environmental value for urban marginal area according to the location characteristics of the urban marginal areas and value embodiment of natural environmental conditions, such as ecological priority, advantages intensification and images construction.