As we continue to evaluate the utility of the smart growth summit held earlier this month, various commentators have chimed in about its benefits and drawbacks. Some city councillors are quick to admit that yes, we knew what many of the experts were going to say, but that this doesn't make their message any less relevant. To be fair, there is considerable merit to many of the ideas presented just over a fortnight ago.

But as Claudette Cain so aptly noted this past weekend, the only experience of Ottawa that many of these "experts" had was an aerial view on their descent out of 33,000 feet. Indeed, our so-called "wasteland" suburbs are a place that at least half of Ottawa's 785,000 people call home. In addition to the lack of plans on how expansive light rail or new multi-use brownfields developments would be funded, the other glaring oversight in this whole rush to embrace the principles of smart growth lock, stock and barrel, was an acknowledgment of the reality of city politics.

One of the concepts behind smart growth is to grow up as a city, and not out. Indeed, increasing population density makes sense for minimizing infrastructure costs and increasing the chances that public transit benefit from increased ridership. One way to facilitate this is through infill housing whereby old single family homes are replaced with row houses, terrace homes or low-rise apartment buildings. This approach was incorporated into official plan of the "old' City of Ottawa and will no doubt find its way into the new official plan.

But the reality of ward politics plays a role here. A councillor elected on a platform of keeping the quiet, residential nature of a community in fact may be hard pressed to support a new infill development in his or her community: especially if this councillor drew upon the resources and people of various neighbourhood associations to get elected.

In far-flung suburbs that are poorly serviced by OC Transpo due to low densities, a wise councillor will probably advocate regional road lane widening (hello Rainer Bloess, how is my Innes Road widening from Orleans Boulevard to 10th Line or Trim Road proceeding?) above any transit service improvements if pressed to make a one or the other choice.

Or consider the trade-off competing councillors may be forced to make. One may support brownfields development, like fixing up Lebreton Flats with a museum or two and cleaning up that eyesore known as the City Centre development, while a councillor from a contiguous ward may see this development as detrimental to commercial store front development in their own ward.

The point is clear. City councillors, for all they may speak about wanting to see the big picture of a new, growing and dynamic Ottawa, are elected to represent their neighbourhoods first and foremost. Even though we have entered the 21st century, old-style, Chicago rooted Daley-democratic ward boss politics, still rules. In a sense, it is the nature of the municipal beast.

As the public and the politicians develop the official plan, we must be cognizant of the political vote trading realities and ward boss priorities outlined above.

Moreover, we should acknowledge that the car as our primary mode of transport will continue as such into the foreseeable future. And while in theory it would be nice to walk to the local grocery store a few times a week for fresh fruits and bread, the work pressures and time constraints that two-income families face with kids enrolled in every after school activity imaginable point to a once a week trip to the SuperStore as an enduring feature of our hectic lives.

As well, the neighbourhood convenience store just can't afford to carry the wide selection of video and DVDs that a super Blockbuster or Rogers video store can. Ditto for those who love to read. Chapters has the volume of customer traffic to accommodate a wide selection of magazines and books that the local book nook just can't do. Finally we must not forget that many people deliberately choose to live far away from their downtown offices as geography is still a legitimate deterrent / excuse from being called into work to put out the proverbial fire at the downtown office.

Yours truly has been critical of the myopia that was on full display by several of the experts who came to Ottawa to tell us how to live. The challenge for the city is to discard the worst and unfeasible of their ideas, keep the ones that may work and move forward, incrementally, in applying smart growth concepts. Council and the Mayor should always be mindful that smart growth is a vision, the official plan is the "plan", but the reality is politics and personal choice will ultimately determine the look, character and organization of this beautiful city.