The system of green areas in Lublin is associated with river valleys. The Bystrzyca Valley is the main compositional and natural axis of the complex, therefore its development was one of the priority planning activities both in the interwar period and after the war. The aim of the article was to analyse local plans and provisions for parks designed in the Bystrzyca Valley in the 20th and 21st centuries. The issue was identified on the basis of literature and archival research, and after conducting a comparative analysis of the studied parks and the current state of land use, the evolution of the assumptions adopted in the interwar period was presented. A detailed analysis covered the designs of three riverside parks, which were to constitute a “green axis” within the city’s administrative borders in the immediate vicinity of downtown Lublin. The work carried out allows the conclusion that the authorities of interwar Lublin, whose area in 1916 was seven times smaller than today and amounted to 26.9 km2, treated the development of river valleys as an important reservoir of green areas. A similar vision was close to the planners of the post-war period. Currently, with the significant expansion of the city, maintaining the recreational function of green areas in river valleys and protecting them from development is crucial from the point of view of the health and quality of life of residents.