I dunno.... I'm sitting here in my "inner city" neighborhood (I live walking distance from pretty much everything I need and biking distance from pretty everything... less than 1.5 miles to the middle of downtown) The only things I can hear right now are the birds and an occasional airplane or truck. I find it to be plenty peaceful.

I grew up in a similar area in Pittsburgh (a bit further from downtown but totally connected.... less than 2 blocks to the trolley)

Growing up my parents each had a vehicle (my dad actually drove for a living), but I never really caught the bug I guess... I used to walk everywhere when I was a kid, when I was about 14 I got my first real road bike and never looked back. I didn't even have a drivers license until I was 25, though my husband (who grew up in rural Maine) did, so I had auto transportation if I needed it. Right now we have a single vehicle, though if we did not bicycle race we could probably get rid of it and simply rent or do flex car for the occasional times we want to go somewhere very far away. I bicycle commute to work and DH takes the bus.

I like being connected though.... I can't imagine living somewhere where I couldn't walk to everything.