Global urbanization has led to the simplification of riparian vegetation structures, with weakening of ecological function. As a crucial component of green infrastructure, the diversity of urban riparian vegetation plays a key role in ecological restoration and interaction between humans and nature. This literature review constructs an explanatory framework for riparian vegetation differences across climatic zones and explores adaptive restoration strategies from the perspective of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) that aim to enhance structural diversity and thus improve ecological and aesthetic values of riparian zones. Perth, with its Mediterranean climate, and Beijing, with its temperate monsoon climate, were selected as representative cities, with comparative analyses of the Swan–Canning River and the Yongding and Wenyu Rivers in Perth and Beijing respectively. Based on climatic and management differences between the two regions, the study compares riparian vegetation structures in vertical (stratification), horizontal (groundcover character), and dynamic (development over time) dimensions, revealing the relationships among climatic and management factors and ecological system functions. Results revealed distinct vegetation patterns and ecological strategies where Perth’s endemic woody communities regenerate slowly due to an antient origin and low resistance to anthropogenic factors, while Beijing’s fast-recovering, more geologically young disturbance-tolerant assemblages remain structurally simplified. Both exhibit structural and functional imbalances, reflecting trade-offs between stability and resilience under urbanization. To address these imbalances, NbS-focused adaptive riparian area restoration is recommended to enhance multilayered vegetation and native species diversity, achieving a balance between ecological stability and plant community resilience to anthropogenic use.
Liu et al. (2025) studied this question.