Los Angeles is in its teenage years—and those come with growing pains. That is the analogy that Tom Wulf, SVP at development firm Lowe, made about the current lack of housing supply and affordability issues facing Los Angeles. The city has seen community backlash from this growth, and push for more density, in the form of Ballot Measures and new legislation that, in some cases has made it more expensive for developers to build in Los Angeles.

According to Wulf, the issues aren't legislation, but a natural process in the growth of a city. “I don't think it is so much the legislation,” he tells GlobeSt.com. “L.A. as a whole is in that teenage/puberty years in terms of the development of the city. We have had the low-growth density sprawl and we are not yet into adulthood. We are making the change into that, but it is a painful process.”

The backlash is especially intense from long-time residents that have single-family homes, and are watching their neighborhoods change. However, without more density and transit options, congestion could get worse. “When people have their single-family houses and you suddenly slap transit in the middle, there is concern about density,” says Wulf. “The alternative, though, is even worse because you are going to create more congestion. It is an education process. We are changing and evolving, and that always requires a discussion.”