Editing David Crombie (section)

==Early life==
Crombie was born in [[Swansea, Toronto|Swansea]], then a village west of Toronto, the son of Vera Edith (Beamish) and Norman Davis Crombie.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yHQnAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Norman+Davis+Crombie+et+Vera+Edith+Beamish%22|title=The Canadian Parliamentary Guide|year=2005|publisher=Gale Canada |isbn=9781414401416}}</ref> He was a lecturer in politics and urban affairs at [[Toronto Metropolitan University|Ryerson]] in the 1960s when he became involved in [[Toronto]]'s urban reform movement.<ref name="Kuitenbrouwer">{{cite web |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/05/31/qa-former-mayor-david-crombie-on-community-achievement/ |title=Q&A: Former Mayor David Crombie on community achievement |last=Kuitenbrouwer |first=Peter |date=31 May 2011 |work=National Post |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129200203/http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/05/31/qa-former-mayor-david-crombie-on-community-achievement/ |archive-date=29 January 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=November 29, 1972 |title=3 former comrades bid for Toronto mayor's job |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/waterloo-region-record-3-former-comrades/145507760/ |work=[[Waterloo Region Record]] |agency=[[The Canadian Press]] |location=Toronto, Ontario |page=34 |access-date=April 16, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> At the time, the city had a very pro-development [[city council]] that allowed a great deal of demolition of older buildings, including houses, to make way for the construction of apartment blocks, office towers, and highways (see [[Spadina Expressway]]). Crombie, along with [[John Sewell]] and other urban reformers, became a leader in a grassroots movement that favoured curtailing development in favour of improving social services and prioritizing community interests.