Why Can't We Be Clever About Planning?

"Why then, I can't help but wonder, do we do dumb things such as sit in traffic jams day after day rather than invest in public transit? And why, here in Toronto, do we have politicians who imagine that expanding the island airport -- thereby increasing noise, increasing pollution, increasing risk and decreasing the quality of life in the urban core -- is a smart thing to do?... Instead of spending funds on endangering and diminishing the city's waterfront, why are they not bright enough to invest in rapid transit to and from Pearson International? "Like a real city," as Margaret Atwood said to me the other day. Are our municipal politicians not as smart as the average architect, the average composer, the average engineer, the average writer, the average performer, or the average construction worker?"