TLDR: money. There isn't a profit in making a pretty building when you can build a utilitarian one and still milk the poor bastards that have no other option but to leave there.
Even Europe has stopped producing those buildings. Each era comes with its own stylistics expressions. Amsterdam's newer district is full of modern cubical buildings. Even if they look a bit better than the one's shown in this meme, they belong to the same post modern movement.
Another thing to consider is that every other extra luxury that is purely a stylistic addition will be an extra expanse on the end buyer
Living in an area that is beautiful matters, and our urban landscapes are a big part of that. Trees, decorated facades, town squares, they may add some economic cost, but why is that the only cost that matters? What about the emotional cost of living in an ugly noisy jungle of concrete and glass?
Because other people's right to have a roof over their heads and afford to buy a house out weights you presumed right to living in a Disney themed park.
Anyone else notice Canada was the only country on the map with the two stairwells from 2 floors & up requirement and every other country started it with 3 or higher?
All the 'nice apartments' he's showing are from beginning of XX century. No one builds like this in Europe anymore. Most new developments are exactly like the ones he shows in America.
While I think this is an issue, I think it's a minor one. If it was a big problem, we'd see a whole bunch of 2 storey apartments sprinkled amongst single family homes. But I've never seen one in all my time in Toronto. Because there's a whole ton of regulations that make it impossible by just plain making it illegal without jumping through a whole ton of other hoops that make it far too expensive.
I'm not saying fixing this won't help, but it's just one of dozens of issues, and a minor one compared to some of them.