[Objective] The interaction between urban development and river network evolution in the main urban area of Zhengzhou City, He'nan Province was analyzed in order to provide scientific basis for rational regulation of urban water resources.[Methods] Taking the main urban area of Zhengzhou City as the research area, based on remote sensing image data in 1994, 2002, 2009 and 2019, the characteristic index of river network was calculated and the coupling coordination model was established to quantitatively analyze the evolution of river network and the interaction between river network and urban development.[Results] The interaction between urban development and river network evolution was manifested in the destruction and promotion of urban development on river network and the supporting and restricting functions of river network on urban development. Urban development led to the decrease of river network density, the single linear trend and simplified structure, but river network was the skeleton of urban form and material basis. When the bearing capacity of river network tended to the threshold, the urban development would be restrained in reverse, which caused the attention to the river network restoration. The change of coordination degree between urban development and river network could be divided into three stages:fluctuation, running-in and stable development:in the early stage, the high intensity development of the city made the coordination degree of the two decline rapidly. In the middle period, people began to pay attention to the repair and maintenance of river network, and the construction of artificial water system consolidated the structure of river network. Affected by the topography, the main urban areas avoided the southwest hilly areas to the east plain area expansion. In the later stage, the control and restoration of the water system achieved remarkable results, and the coordination degree was upgraded to the primary coordination level with the trend of gradual improvement.[Conclusion] The intervention of artificial water conservancy measures can alleviate the impact of urban development on river network, but the restoration effect of river network lags behind the process of urban development, therefor, it is still necessary to strengthen the restoration and protection of river network.