Pedestrian friendly? Not Durham or Raleigh, not at all.
Most of Durham is a pit, an absolute pit. Rarely does a week go by without some scandal coming out about Durham government &/or 17 year old kids being arrested for murder.
If you REALLY want a laugh google Jackie Wagstaff. She is on the Durham school board and cannot put together a coherent sentence to save her life. Cannot remember how many times she has been evicted for non-payment of rent. She was convicted of 2 misdemeanors right after her election to the school board. Oh, she is now running for mayor. That would serve Durham right.
That said, southern Durham is up and coming. To date the city has yet to find time to ruin it. Outside of southern Durham, good luck. The city motto is "I have a gun, do you?"
Raleigh is not pedestrian friendly either. If you don't have a car or a friend with one, tough luck.
Chapel Hill has a good public transportation system. It is free and runs all the time. However housing prices are way out of line for this part of NC.