A reform wave that halted a wall of downtown high-rises
David Crombie
Elected in 1972 as part of a citizen-activist reform wave, Crombie brought in a height limit that stopped a wave of high-rise redevelopment — and built the housing project still cited as a template for the city.
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David Crombie was elected Toronto's mayor in 1972 as part of a citizen-activist "reform" wave that unseated the developer-aligned political establishment then dominant at City Hall. His council brought in a 45-foot height-restriction bylaw that halted a wave of high-rise redevelopment threatening downtown neighbourhoods. He served three terms, becoming known as the "tiny perfect mayor" for his diminutive stature paired with a reputation for competence and consensus-building.
The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood
His signature legacy project is the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood, a mixed-income, mixed-use residential community built through the late 1970s and 1980s on former industrial and rail land east of Yonge and south of Front Street — converting roughly 18 hectares of polluted railway lands into housing for about 10,000 people. It is still widely cited by urban planners as a template for dense, walkable, income-mixed housing. Crombie left City Hall in 1978 to win a federal by-election, later serving as a federal cabinet minister.
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Sources
- The Canadian Encyclopedia — David Crombie
- TVO — Toronto's 'Tiny Perfect Mayor' David Crombie Turns 80
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