Open Public Spaces play a key role in visibility of cities, especially public spaces near rivers. This is the reason rivers in the cities represent their natural wealth while simultaneously being their development potential. They are strong economic development engines, engines of growth and creators of the urban fabric. Public open riverside spaces and their different forms depend on geomorphological features of the river body as well as the impact of the wider environment. The topic is important, as the quality of riverside spaces and their development potential was previously insufficiently taken into account. Today these are the spaces of cities, which experience enriched transformation. For the purposes of this research, the theme of the importance of urban waterside areas was verified in six European cities. The paper presents in detail the importance of this topic in three cities: Ljubljana, Ptuj and Gradee. They recognize points of contact in relation to the riverside area. The debate on urban riverside areas is related to two areas that are selected as a spatial framework for research: the immediate area of the river corridor (KUV - corridor of urban watercourse) and the wider riverside space (NUV- urban river embankment). Public space within the NUV region has great and specific spatial poten dal, which was confirmed among users of public space through surveys conducted in those areas. Surveys also showed a low level of general awareness of citizens about the possibilities offered by riverside areas and regulation of public space around it, as well as explore ways to enrich this space.