Really? Even the worst housing blocks you can build are “shabby” Khrushchyovka buildings, and even they’re quite nice.

But yes, the level one and two roads and industrial buildings are pretty bad. Which makes sense as it’s shabby concrete, gravel, and dirt, with pretty neglected factories. Once you get good investment into your city and have a serious industrial sector going, you can get really nice firms, industrial plants, and factory yards.

The funny part is, most people can’t figure out the game and abandon it long before they reach that part.

The level one and two buildings aren’t to far out from what you’d see in a less important village or economically disadvantaged area in the Soviet Union. Not decrepit… but fairly shabby. Still better then US shantytowns and abandoned rural areas by an insane margin though.