That the perception of time can be a cultural thing is clear when you talk to a Madrileño. In the capital, as in many other big cities, long commutes are commonplace and almost taken for granted in everyday life. In addition, considering the price of living in the city center, it is normal that people live in the outskirts, which adds more distance and therefore more time.
In Madrid Secreto we have gone out to ask the street from what distance something is considered far away: “when you have to make a transfer it is already far away” says a first interviewee. For many Madrileños, “near” can be any place that has a good metro connection, even if that means traveling forty minutes and crossing several neighborhoods, because the important thing is not the number, but the ease: the direct journey, without endless transfers, is the true measure of proximity in some cases.
This thought often justifies the usual “it’s right next door” -from Aravaca to Vallecas- as long as public transport makes the journey easier than the map would suggest.
How distances are measured in Madrid
For those who visit the city, being surprised by the lightness with which Madrileños jump from one neighborhood to another has become part of urban folklore, as if the capital were a big town you can always get to quickly… if you know which way to go.
Among the interviewees, the most adventurous one assures that up to an hour’s walk seems close enough. For some foreigners who also answered the question, 2 km seems adequate to define between near and far.
The debate has continued in comments where some suggest that everything outside the M30 is far, while others put the yardstick of having to take a green bus, i.e. the region’s intercity buses.