TITLE: Constructing a function over a metric space through given points
QUESTION [8 upvotes]: Suppose there is a compact metric space $(X,\rho)$ and a Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^n$. 
There is a sequence of unequal points $\{x_1,...x_N\}$ in $X$ such that all metrics $\rho(x_i,x_j)$ are known and $f(x_i)=a_i$ for some $a_i$ in $\mathbb{R}^n$ whereas:
$$ \forall x_i,x_j \in \{x_1,...x_N\} . ||a_i-a_j|| \leq L \cdot \rho(x_i, x_j) $$
for a fixed $L$.
Suppose also that $\{x_1,...x_N\}$ form a finite cover of $X$ by balls of some suitable (known) radius.
If $X$ were just a compact interval, $\{x_1,...x_N\}$ its partition, and $n$ were $1$, we could certainly construct a piecewise-linear function $f:X \rightarrow \mathbb{R}^n$ such that:
$$ f(x_i)=a_i \\ \forall x,y \in X . ||f(x)-f(y)|| \leq L \cdot \rho(x, y) $$ 
with a slope controlled by $L$.
It should be also possible in certain cases if $X \subset \mathbb{R}^m$.
Is it possible to construct such a function for a general compact metric space? And if $X$ is a subset of a Euclidean space?

REPLY [6 votes]: Applying rescaling you can assume that $L=1$.
We look for a 1-Lipschitz piecewise linear maps $f\colon\mathbb{R}^m\to\mathbb{R}^n$. 
If $m=n$ we get $f$ from Brehm's theorem;
it says that there is a piecewise distance preserving map of that type (in particular 1-Lipschitz and piecewise linear). 
See Brehm, U., Extensions of distance reducing mappings to piecewise
congruent mappings on $\mathbb{R}^m$ and also our paper written for kids.
If $m<n$ we can think that $\mathbb{R}^m$ is a subspace of $\mathbb{R}^n$; in this case apply Brehm's theorem and restrict the obtained map to $\mathbb{R}^m$. 
If $m>n$ we can think that $\mathbb{R}^n$ is a subspace of $\mathbb{R}^m$; in this case apply Brehm's theorem and compose the obtained map with the projection to $\mathbb{R}^n$.
Since projection linear and 1-Lipschitz, so it the composition.

REPLY [6 votes]: Anton's answer is for the case where $X$ is a subset of a Hilbert space.  For $X$ a general metric space (compactness does not help, BTW), $L$ must be increased by a factor of order $\log^{1/2}N$; see
$$$$
 Johnson, William B.; Lindenstrauss, Joram Extensions of Lipschitz mappings into a Hilbert space. Conference in modern analysis and probability (New Haven, Conn., 1982), 189–206, Contemp. Math., 26, Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, RI, 1984.