..and yeah car use for a few blocks seems a bit much, and perhaps interferes with our abilities to more easily run into and get to know our neighbors - including that sometimes we may well end up being afraid of and/or hating our neighbors more than we should... it is not easy to know the solution to some of these circumstances, and surely many cities (and even towns) and buildings are designed in ways to NOT be very inviting to walkability and/or social interaction.. .. I am not sure if these design choices are on purpose in all cases, but surely in some cases they are.
This is becoming a bigger and bigger problem with each year and it is compounded by the trend toward social distancing. Many people now prefer texting over voice communication and electronic over face-to-face human interaction. They avoid looking people straight in the eye, hearing their tone of voice and smelling their pheromones. They avoid social contact by staying at home, using Uber Eats and other delivery services and try to replace it with impersonal so-called "social" media.
It can be a challenge if you live in a big city even if you don't drive. If you can afford to live in a house downtown in a close knit neighborhood, it's easier to get to get to know your neighbors. If all you can afford is a high-rise condominium it takes extra effort. It's not all that hard though.
Take time to learn people's names. At the SkyDome all the employees wear name tags. Every time I see a new employee I read his or her name tag and try to remember his or her name. Then the next time I want to buy a beer, I'll get the vendor's attention by calling out his or her name. That and decent cash tips go a long way towards them remembering you. Eventually someone will learn your name and spread the word among the others. Almost all of the beer vendors in our section know me by name and it pays off in special treatment at last call and lots of free beers. Many people look at the beer vendors as faceless employees and never take the time to get to know them as
human beings.
... you must admit that you failed/refused to mention anything in regards to your preparedness (or lack thereof) to be able to get away from a bear...
Most bush bears are deadly afraid of humans and will usually run away if they can unless they are sick or are mothers with cubs. It's bears that have learned to trust humans that are the problem, such as in parks or around campgrounds where people feed them, leave food lying around or throw scraps into the bush to "feed the animals" instead of burning them or otherwise safely disposing of them.
If you do have to deal with a bear, the best thing is to make a loud noise. I carry a compressed air horn for this purpose. Warning: loud noises do not work with moose. The noise will aggravate a moose. It's best to walk away from the moose quietly. Luckily moose are herbivorous.