Friction of Distance

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Friction of distance is the idea that distance requires an amount of effort. Because of this spatial interactions tend to take place over shorter distances; the amount of interaction declines with distance. Friction of distance is also the force that creates distance decay. Waldo R. Tobler's First law of geography states "All things are related, but near things are more related than far things."^[1]

Distance does not have the same effect on all spatial interactions. Some interactions will be very limited in scale, such as the distance people are willing to travel in order to acquire the basic necessities of life, or the distance fresh produce can be shipped if it is to retain its freshness. However, distance may have a less important role in the decision of where to have heart surgery. The rise of modern communication technology has allowed some areas of economic and social interactions to take place regardless of distance, drastically lessening the effects of friction of distance.^[2]

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