This reminds me of friends who moved into a new upmarket block of flats and found that all three other front doors in their lift lobby had shoes outside.
Two of them were occupied by SE Asian residents (it’s polite to take your shoes off when you enter a home) and the other was downsizing farmers (muddy boots are always kicked off at the back door). So yes there is a cultural component.
My friends invoked fire safety issues as their way of clearing the corridors. Personally, I think it makes a place more homely to feel that people are relaxed about leaving their shoes outside their front doors. As long as it isn’t every pair of shoes that they own!