ИСТИНА

Rivers have always been a special area in cities and towns, playing crucial and unique roles in their development and evolution. Some functions of urban rivers have fainted, others have remained, while some have simply changed. But no matter the level of transformation, rivers are still vital for cities for they produce a number of ecosystem services of all kinds. However, due to the recent progress and agglomeration growth, the rivers’ health and the volume of their functions have suffered, effecting the population as well. This work aims to demonstrate the transformation of riparian areas throughout the history in general, accenting modern state of rivers in the most populated cities, examining their value and use in this post-industrial urban age.