The increase in human population and the congregation of people in large cities has made urbanization one of the major problems form natural ecosystems. This is particularly true for riparian ecosystems since many cities and towns are built along rivers and streams. Typically, riparian areas are degraded or eliminated in urban settings that also leads to their fragmentation. Connectivity is a key feature for the proper functioning of riparian areas. In contrast, if urban riparian areas are restored and manage sustainably, they can provide many ecosystem services, such as decreased water pollution, recreation and relaxation areas and opportunities to escape from their daily routine and even climate change impact mitigation. The objective of this project was to assess the current condition of the riparian areas and stream reaches than run through the city of Drama, Greece. To accomplish this, visual assessment protocols were utilized; the Stream Visual Assessment Protocol (SVAP) and the Riparian Forest Quality (QBR). These protocols are complementary to each other since one focus on streams (SVAP) and the other on riparian vegetation (QBR). Overall, the urban riparian areas that were visually assessed with both protocols, indicate strong alterations and poor quality. The urban riparian areas of Drama appear to be fragmented, face urban encroachment with many human infrastructures that have modified the stream channel and degraded the riparian vegetation and the frequent presence of garbage is very frequent found. The use of ecosystem-based approaches, ecohydrological methods and nature-based solution needs to be utilized for the more effective management of these urban riparian areas in order to maintain and/or improve the quality. Finally, the awareness best management practices for riparian areas needs to be reinforced and promoted to municipality officials.