TV's Frink said:

I never had a problem with the PT looking different that the OT, I always felt it could be explained by a general lack of decay (or malaise or whatever) once the Empire took over. Of course, that only works if you don't watch the SE versions of the OT...

My reason for disagreeing with this is mostly a stylistic thing. I always preferred Star Wars over Star Trek because it looked like a place where people actually lived. I wouldn't mind if Naboo was a more pristine planet as part of its little perfect culture, but everything PT is too slick and flashy. A nice opportunity to show a grungy place would have been in the Ep II cantina, but it still seemed too fancy and fun. Nothing ever breaks down in the PT.