If you haven’t gotten a change to check it out, i-neighbors ^[1] is a site created by M.I.T. researchers to further communications among people in your neighborhood. Gone are the days of front porches and lemonade, replaced by niche market friendster zones.
So far, it looks like a project with potential — one of those things that only becomes useful after a bunch of people sign-up and start using it. Give it a shot! If your ‘hood doesn’t already exist, create one and start the revolution in your few block radius.