I have explained that in practice it's not possible for people to live within walking distance from their work. Cycling extends the range but it's still not enough, and not always practical. Public transport is not always viable either because not practical and economical, and people actually don't like to have to rely on public transport for everything unless perhaps (and again) when they live in the centre of large cities.
All of this holds true including in Europe.
I'm not advocating complete removal of private cars, but people need to be able to build daily routines that do not require them.
For example, you might live in a village or suburban town, walk to the station and get the train to nearest city where you walk to work. You still have a car for weekends and random errands.
Even within a car dependent lifestyle, car usage can be reduced. This was possible with old style "high streets" where you could drive there, park once, visit a number of shops and businesses then drive home. Now, you travel between a few big box stores much further out of town.