You are comparing the wrong thing. When you are in a walkable area most of the things you want to get to are closer than the distance that you walk form your car to the store in the mall.
When there are 2 good restaurants on your block, and a small grocery store: you don't need to go to the mall anymore.
It was like that at college, on-campus eating places within a 5 minute walk of my dorm. Having experienced both, I prefer driving for 5 minutes to walking for 3.
When there are 2 good restaurants on your block, and a small grocery store: you don't need to go to the mall anymore.