We prove metric differentiation for differentiability spaces in the sense of Cheeger. As corollaries we give a new proof that the minimal generalized upper gradient coincides with the pointwise Lipschitz constant for Lipschitz functions on PI spaces,
a proof that the Lip-lip constant of any Lip-lip space in the sense of Keith is equal to $1$, and new nonembeddability results.
We prove the differentiability of Lipschitz maps X-->V, where X is a complete metric measure space satisfying a doubling condition and a Poincare inequality, and V is a Banach space with the Radon Nikodym Property (RNP). The proof depends on a new ch
aracterization of the differentiable structure on such metric measure spaces, in terms of directional derivatives in the direction of tangent vectors to suitable rectifiable curves.
We clarify the relation between inverse systems, the Radon-Nikodym property, the Asymptotic Norming Property of James-Ho, and the GFDA spaces introduced in our earlier paper on differentiability of Lipschitz maps into Banach spaces.
