Retractions and the bounded approximation property in Banach spaces (Q2684836)

In this paper, the authors explore a necessary condition for a Banach space \(X\) to admit a generating compact Lipschitz retract \(K\). They provide a partial solution to a question raised by Godefroy and Ozawa regarding the existence of generating convex and compact Lipschitz retracts (GCCR) in every separable Banach space. The main result of the paper demonstrates that if a generating compact Lipschitz retract \(K\) exists (under certain additional hypotheses), then \(X\) must have the Bounded Approximation Property (BAP). The paper's argument builds on the approach taken in [\textit{P. Hájek} and \textit{R. Medina}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 376, No. 2, 1343--1372 (2023; Zbl 07641752)], where the authors used a strong flatness assumption on \(K\) to imply the \(\pi\)-property of \(X\). In this work, they assume the sequence of distances of \(K\) to its finite-dimensional sections is controlled by a geometric sequence. This suggests the potential existence of a counterexample to \textit{G. Godefroy} and \textit{N. Ozawa}'s question from [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 142, No. 5, 1681--1687 (2014; Zbl 1291.46013)]. In [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 376, No. 2, 1343--1372 (2023; Zbl 07641752)] the authors construct in every Banach space with an FDD a GCCR; however, the existence of GCCRs in Banach space with properties weaker than BAP remains unclear. The proof of the main theorem relies on several deep ingredients, including a generalization of a lemma by Vitali Milman, which is central to the argument. This generalization is used to control the dimension of finite rank operators, approximating the identity. The authors employ Lipschitz retraction in a non-constructive manner, only proving the existence of the operators. The differentiation theory and averaging in the finite-dimensional setting are used to obtain the uniformly bounded finite rank operators pointwise converging to the identity. Overall, this paper is a significant step in answering the question posed by Godefroy and Ozawa, offering valuable insights into the structure of Banach spaces with generating compact Lipschitz retracts.