Abstract: Starting from the involvement and interaction of stakeholders, this research focuses on non-technological factors and social process on the procedure of urban riparian area development. After summarizing the international experience on urban riparian area management, the paper reviews the ecological landscape development of the Emscher River, a typical empirical case, in the past more than 100 years, analyzing role shifting and developmental features of diverse stakeholders on the procedures of riparian planning and transformation, as well as discussing the impact motivations, trends and modes on promoting the ecosystem service of the Emscher River. In the last section, the research explores the internal relations between intrinsic actions of stakeholders and riparian ecosystem service promotion based on the practical experience of the Emscher River.