Sun/Light has a lot to do with it. The place linked looks fine/tolerable but put that in the northern of Europe/America and you'll looking at the edge of depression (at least for myself).
https://thehoneycombers.com/singapore/unique-hdb-blocks-desi...
And of course the surrounding area there is pretty amazing, loads of green spaces and wildlife on your doorstep. A large part of this video was filmed just around the corner, for instance:
They are currently building a new HDB estate right on the edge of a coastal park five minutes from that location. Even without the sunlight, it’s a pretty great place to live.
But your picture of the Soviet Union is perhaps a bit too rosy.
I'm not sure why you'd be depressed? It's a picture of a construction site in a car park. Sure, I'd love having the car infrastructure being less front and centre, too. But otherwise it's fine.
I was saying I'd be depressed or it would be depressing, in Singapore. What I was saying is that if you match that place with a grey sky, in cold climate with slow rain, that will be the definition of depression (at least for me).
