Their interaction is limited to a tentative wave now and again. Most probably, close neighborhoods all have several people who are willing to move beyond their own personal home existence and move to operating on a neighborhood level. We might have lost that effort, but we won the battle in that it brought our community together. He's kind of seen as the community gardener. Residents notice him outside and stop to chat, ask advice on their lawns.
People have different comfort levels about what kind of sociability they Want.
Every neighborhood is its own little microculture. If a particular block isn't close, perhaps it's because its residents have different needs. Maybe people are more focused on their families or their career, for example. I don't think we're born into community anymore, so we have to make community. Come together for a cause, such as a Fall cleanup.