In recent years, awareness has grown of the vital importance of ecological systems, provoking increased research into how to improve their resilience. Here, one popular new technical/management solution is the creation of greenways along riversides. In practice, however, the practical outcomes of such greenways have sometimes been disappointing due to an excessive focus on technical solutions at the expense of a sufficient consideration of the social impact. This study intends to reflect on the problem by looking at the dynamics of land use for ecosystem functions at the macro scale as well as the relationship between the implementation of greenways and the local demand for diverse everyday activities, in particular, recreation opportunities, at the micro scale. Based on this, it aims to reveal practical solutions to bridge ecological usages and everyday needs that achieve better preservation and services of ecosystems. Taking the greenways along the Yongning River (YRG), which runs through the urban–rural areas and the urban–rural interface of Huangyan-Taizhou, as a case study, GIS analysis and anthropology approaches were applied. The results show that the YRG has systematically improved the riparian ecosystems by better connecting the eco-land use and preserving the waterfront. At the same time, its ability to fulfil the large potential for leisure and recreation services needs to improve. Residents living in different parts of the city had disparate requirements depending on their patterns of daily behaviour. We conclude that the successful implementation of greenways in cities should not only consider technological and nature-based solutions but also consider the socio-cultural background. The diversity of local needs regarding everyday activities and recreation will lead to an equivalent diversity in riparian landscape design.