As Los Angeles County struggles with limited space for new housing, some of its fastest-growing communities have emerged in areas once considered unlikely places for expansion. Zev Yaroslavsky, former Los Angeles city councilmember and county supervisor who now directs the Los Angeles Initiative at UCLA, spoke with Los Angeles Times about how these boom areas benefited from one major advantage: room to build.

“You’re starting from scratch,” Yaroslavsky said, explaining why places such as the Antelope Valley and other northern reaches of the county have been able to add housing more easily than established communities. But he cautioned that growth does not necessarily mean affordability. While these communities offer lower prices than areas such as the Westside, Sherman Oaks or Encino, many new homes remain out of reach for typical Los Angeles households.

Yaroslavsky cited a UCLA study that found that nearly half of Los Angeles County households earn less than $90,000 annually, too low to afford many of the new units under construction. “These units are not being built for that demographic,” he said. “Rents are very high.”