I do think they're starting to look more like European city centres (busy streets with shops and people living above them; maybe you have a different idea of what a European city center is about?)

You're describing "mixed use" which is certainly on the upswing (thankfully). That's a far cry from, say, Americana.

As a European you might not fully understand how predatory an environment your average mall is. They keep the air dry so that you're thirsty. They minimize spaces you can actually stop and reflect. Mall 2.0 is a little better, but they still tend to assemble "sitting places" around munchie vendors. Meanwhile, the shops you find in an average "European city center" tend to serve the people who live there - you will find bodegas, you will find dry goods, you will find notions in amongst the Prada and Rolex. A pint of milk is a damn hard thing to buy at your average mall; so's a watch battery.

Malls - including The Grove, including Americana, including City Center in Vegas, which are all Caruso projects - are destinations. They lack basic amenities. The parking is a mess. Their condos are all heinously undersold. This is why I keep resisting your "European city center" idea - there's a cachet to living in Paris or Zurich or Padua or whatever. "Americana?" Your big draw is a Bloomingdale's in Burbank.