I was in St. Petersburg, Russia a decade ago, and the parts of the city I saw that were built in the Soviet era looked anything but friendly and comfortable.
The only comparable places I've seen in the US, in terms of sheer ugliness, are large high-rise government housing projects.
I will say this about St. Petersburg, in all sincerity: The woman (35 yrs and under) there seemed to be, on average, notably more attractive than in any other place I've been, before or since.
I still cannot figure how NYC (https://nyulangone.org/files/city-street-in-bay-ridge-brookl...) in nicer than Almaty (http://www.walkingalmaty.com/uploads/2/3/7/9/23797930/886799... or https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uoAK6mvo248/VHUZgL6rFuI/AAAAAAAAW...) keeping in mind that the houses in Almaty have common areas, playgrounds without traffic going thru, benches etc; in case of Brooklyn it is just a building facing the street and there is nothing behind it. Oh, and that building has moldy walls made out of paper.
This just means you've never been to ex-Yugoslavia!
(Been there with my wife; she agrees wholeheartedly)