Make plenty of sound so they aren’t startled by you coming up on them suddenly.

If you do encounter one, step slowly away until they either run off, or you’re far enough away to change your route a little to avoid the specific skunk.

Skunks are pretty damn versatile. Like raccoons, and possums, they adapt easily to urban and suburban settings. They’ve been in and around most cities for a long time, but you don’t know about them because they’re typically shy and avoid high traffic areas.

If you do see one, chances are that moving to the other side of the street is plenty of space for them to not feel threatened.

But, they don’t spray willy-nilly, so you’d likely have warning before it got that far. They’ll typically try to avoid confrontation at all, and just keep the business end pointed at you. If you aren’t coming closer, they’d much rather avoid wasting their spray.