I don't see the contradiction. A mall offers the walkability of an urban center but provides plenty of free parking. Additionally, there's no space "wasted" by

I don't see the contradiction. A mall offers the walkability of an urban center but provides plenty of free parking. Additionally, there's no space "wasted" by residential and office buildings like there is in a city. What exactly doesn't make sense here? Indoor malls died because consumers who want to shop in person turned out to prefer individual stores and strip malls. If anything you should be pointing out how weird and wasteful those detached stores are. It seems to me that the indoor mall is at least speaking the same language as you, with its "synergy and community" and walkability. The model of having detached stores and restaurants spaced widely apart is the unsustainable aberration. The indoor mall makes sense.