Revitalization of Riverside Boulevards in Poland – A Case Study on the Background of the European Implementation

River banks have recently experienced a real renaissance, this form of development of the city areas located directly near the river is often treated as one of the most representative areas in the city. More and more cities are opting for the revitalization of heavily degraded areas bordering the river. Rivers, which in the past were "unfriendly" to man for most of the XX century, through the close proximity to industrial and transport functions, have become currently an attraction in the scale of the whole city and even in the wider region very often. The author presents examples of revitalized boulevards in Poland, ie.: Vistula Boulevards in Warsaw, River banks in Bydgoszcz, Biała River bank in Bialystok. The aim of the study was to compare selected types of the revitalization of these areas in Poland with selected foreign examples. In the conclusions, the author showed the factors determining their current function and character depending on their historical significance, location and function, and especially the current location in the functional and spatial structure. To a larger extent, the current function of these public spaces is determined by the size of the city and their location in relation to the centre. Distance from other open public spaces, especially green areas, is also significant. The most frequent activity in these spaces is the improvement of their pedestrian and bicycle accessibility through the construction of paths, ramps, slipways and footbridges. The second basic action is the change of the status of these areas and the attempt to include them in the park area system, giving the status of recreation and leisure places for residents and tourists. Foreign examples: The Nervión River in Bilbao, The Rio Madrid Avenue in Madrid and the Rheinauhafen Boulevard in Cologne show a fairly diverse approach to this issue while expanding the scope of possible actions.