The Local Distance Network and its implications for the Hubble constant

The Hubble constant (H0) is crucial to the understanding of the Universe and its evolution. Hence, one would expect agreement on its value in an era of precision cosmology. However, improvements to direct H0 measurements have resulted in a significant discord with the cosmology-dependent predictions of H0 based on the Cosmic Microwave Background observed by the ESA Planck mission. Importantly, strong agreement between direct H0 measurements susceptible to different systematics has been established. Yet, correlations and interdependencies between these measurements have precluded simple averaging of partially complementary constraints. Here, I present the Distance Network, co-developed by 36 experts from all relevant disciplines in the context of a hands-on workshop at the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern, Switzerland in March 2025. The Distance Network generalizes the idea of the well-known Distance Ladder and jointly considers different methods of distance determination to achieve the best, de-correlated consensus measurement of the local expansion rate of the Universe. I will describe the philosophy underlying the Distance Network and our process for defining the methodology. In turn, I will present the resulting Consensus Report on the Hubble constant, which provides the most accurate direct H0 measurement to date in addition to a rigorous assessment of robustness through analysis variants. I will close by discussing the implications for the Hubble tension as well as recommendations for further improvements.