House prices are partly explained by proximity to the urban centre. Generally, and for simplicity, proximity is measured via straight-line distance (i.e., ‘as the crow flies’). However, distance between two points in space can be mainly conceptualised in three ways—straight-line, road-network and travel time-related overland. Therefore, the particular distance measure that portrays ‘reality’ as closely as possible in a given study is context-specific. We examine the implications of using different distance measures when analysing house prices. This Sydney case study used spatial econometric techniques as a robust mechanism to compare different distance measures. The disaggregated analysis of the three city regions confirmed that distinct distance metrics have specific effects on house prices. Including in the modelling process how residents perceive and value their proximity seems to improve the accuracy of ‘city centre effects’. A separate section links these findings to prevalent travel modes in different parts of Sydney, and it suggests there are three different cities in Sydney in terms of residents’ willingness to pay to live close to the city centre and preferred travel modes. While we reveal how residents’ preferences for transport modes are reflected in house prices, we emphasise the need for specific types of transport infrastructure (e.g., roads, highways and footpaths) in given regions.

房价的部分原因是靠近市中心。通常，为了简单起见，通过直线距离（即“乌鸦飞翔”）测量接近度。但是，空间上两点之间的距离主要可以通过三种方式来概念化：直线，路网和与旅行时间相关的陆上。因此，在给定的研究中，尽可能接近地描绘“真实性”的特定距离度量是针对特定上下文的。我们分析了分析房价时使用不同距离度量的含义。该悉尼案例研究使用空间计量经济学技术作为比较不同距离度量的可靠机制。对三个城市区域的分类分析证实，不同的距离指标对房价具有特定影响。在建模过程中包括居民如何感知和重视他们的亲近感似乎可以提高“城市中心效应”的准确性。一个单独的部分将这些发现与悉尼不同地区的普遍出行方式联系起来，从居民的支付意愿来看，悉尼有三个不同的城市居住在靠近市中心的城市和偏好的出行方式。虽然我们揭示了居民对交通方式的偏好如何反映在房价中，但我们强调在给定地区需要特定类型的交通基础设施（例如道路，公路和人行道）。从居民的支付意愿来看，悉尼有三个不同的城市，他们愿意住在靠近市中心的城市和偏爱的出行方式。虽然我们揭示了居民对交通方式的偏好如何在房价中得到反映，但我们强调在给定地区需要特定类型的交通基础设施（例如道路，公路和人行道）。从居民的支付意愿来看，悉尼有三个不同的城市，他们愿意住在靠近市中心的城市和偏爱的出行方式。虽然我们揭示了居民对交通方式的偏好如何反映在房价中，但我们强调在给定地区需要特定类型的交通基础设施（例如道路，公路和人行道）。