Blame local codes, not the designers. A lot of the work that seems bland is not because us architects, engineers, or designers want it to look that way. Clients want the absolute min/max in terms of land usage against potential value. That is what results it all the buildings looking like blocks because it is one of the most efficient shapes to design with.

The real solution is having local laws to mandates that x% or a ratio of the property from the property line has to be developed for public use. At the moment that sort of exist, but it exist more so for accessibility reasons than anything else. even then, loopholes exist that can just bypass property setback laws. If you can afford glass on the ground floor of a building in my city, then you are allowed to literally build on the property line with no setback :/