  Supplementing a lattice with long-range connections effectively models
small-world networks characterized by a high local and global
interconnectedness observed in systems ranging from society to the brain. If
the links have a wiring cost associated to their length l, the corresponding
distribution q(l) plays a crucial role. Uniform length distributions have
received most attention despite indications that q(l) ~ l^{-\alpha} exist, e.g.
for integrated circuits, the Internet and cortical networks. While length
distributions of this type were previously examined in the context of
navigability, we here discuss for such systems the emergence and physical
realizability of small-world topology. Our simple argument allows to understand
under which condition and at what expense a small world results.
