This paper discusses different criteria for the assessment of wind field environmentsin urban areas and how they relate to field observations. The importance of the inclusion of wind environment studies in the planning process is also discussed. The increasing influence of the built environment on wind speed and direction makes any forecast for heights below 50 meter very hazardous1. This increase in the areas with more built form where the roughness is extremely high. It is not always possible to make a quantitative forecast of wind speed and direction in urban environment.  Examples are provided to illustrate how development controls can be designed to ensure that pedestrian amenity is not compromised by new development while at the same time not become a burden to innovative design approaches or good design practice due to wind modification. The paper concludes with a number of case studies that provide examples of how innovative techniques for mitigation of adverse wind environments can achieve the desired level of pedestrian amenity without having to compromise with the architectural design intent.