You're comparing living in a car dependant city vs living in car dependant suburbs. It's not going to be meaningfully different. You mention the constant noise, but what do you think causes it?

To see what everyone means by car dependency, you'd need to see the few places that aren't.

Here's what a 100% car-free island looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWDFgzAjr1k

Here are some progressive European cities that have started to undo the damage that's been done by cars:

• Freiburg, Germany: https://youtu.be/6Vil5KC7Bl0?t=36

• Haarlem, Netherlands: https://youtu.be/ztpcWUqVpIg?t=90

• Paris, France: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSQSBoHmG8s

Check out these background noise levels:

• A very busy mixed-use street in Amsterdam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqQSwQLDIK8

• Exiting the train station in Delft, Netherlands: https://youtu.be/CTV-wwszGw8?t=289

• Cycling streets in the Netherlands: https://youtu.be/bMJaMy-0ChA?t=242. You can even hear birds chirping at 4:29.