bad manners, in answer to your questions;
places in USA with a "chilly" winter are Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, etc,etc
"paper houses" may be found somewhere in the US (perhaps as part of an artistic expo) but each state has laws that dictate safety standards and requirements specific to their climate and natural hazards
In California we have laws that allow buildings of any kind that are reinforced to withstand EARTHQUAKES. Most houses are a combo of wood and plaster construction because not only are they still standing after a big quake but they are cool, easy to maintain, and best suited to our climate (dry and warm)
There are brick and stone block buildings but the steel reinforcement required for these is expensive. We have many older buildings from 100-300 years ago that are brick or adobe that are still in use but if a big quake hits them they will be a pile of ash. So the law requires that these be reinforced with steel if it is a public building. We also have a few buildings that the Russians built in Northern California that are wood and still standing (and still being used).
And yes the Santa Monica Freeway was rebuilt quickly (and to higher, safer standards) after an earthquake. But we do have an advantage of a warm dry climate so You will have to compare Russian building practices with a state that has a similar climate (Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, etc)