I don't buy that. Are you saying that human beings should still be hunter gatherers? Villages are just small cities. And if you say that the only reason people live in communities is to extract, I think it's an inaccurate statement.

Humans live together because we are a social species. We became stationary about 12,000 years ago when we started growing things. It was an easier way to survive.

I don't think the that cities and civilizations are built to 'extract' things. They are built to provide society for human beings. The rest is incidental.