It is by design.... literally.
The south is notorious for horrible urban planning. No one will take time to get ready, get in a car, drive to the location, park, and walk there. The amount of steps in a sunbelt city to go to a public space is too cumbersome. If you build a city where the flow of traffic goes into a central space and the access is easy by walking or other modes of transportation, people will congregate. I lived in Latin America and to meet friends I'd just walk to the bus and the bus would drop me off in a entertainment district. If you make it easier to travel and access public spaces, people will use them.
Internet cannot replace real life.