A big, climate controlled, pedestrian-only space packed full of different kinds of shops isn't pedestrian-friendly? Give me a break. On the subjective side I think a lot of them look pretty nice.
I think they are talking about the outdoor style malls you with huge parking lots that most people will drive from one store to the other, rather than walking.
Australia has both, we have the multi level island malls surrounded by mega roads, and then inner CBD retails streets which are surrounded by high density residential and office space which are actually great for pedestrian access as you can easily get from your current location to the area.
There are (or were) malls in central business districts, say in downtown San Francisco or Chicago. These often have flagship stores, and frequently serve business travellers and tourists (in-country and international).
There are definitely more outlying malls away from downtowns.
Both have been suffering badly for years, and more so during the COVID pandemic.
Seattle used to have a decent downtown mall area but I think a combination of high rents, low traffic, general lawlessness and Covid has kind of destroyed that.
Where I was really impressed in Europe is when malls or store complexes were on major subway hubs and stations. People could do their shopping on the way home without ever having to drive.
You'll find the shopping / transit mix in San Francisco (Westfield San Francisco Centre and neighbouring shopping via Muni Metro), New York (5th avenue generally via the subway), and Chicago (Miracle Mile via the El). Few other US cities can claim downtowns with high rates of transit service, though a few exist and even those with poor transit tend to have the best options near city-centres, along with shopping.
Inner-city malls are awesome for this— think the Toronto Eaton Centre which literally has a subway station at each end of it!
But yeah suburban malls which are surrounded by an ocean of parking? Terrible.
And not a lot of downtown malls / department stores have made it through the past three decades. High cost of space and low value add vs online shopping are a tough combination to be up against.
