The continuation of this quote is "... Nor was so worldly as to gain office".
Urban (city) areas rely on food from rural (countryside) areas because in urban citites, there aren't a lot of backyards. People stay in tall apart building built on concrete. There are a lot of streets and sidewalks. Downtown is an urban area. When you go downtown, you don't get much grass and certainly not much open area to grow crops.
C. The characters reach a decision
