It’s not nostalgia. I’ve watched many older Trek shows since Discovery and they do a better job dictating distances between things.
How do you define past Trek as being "better at dictating distances between things?"
I guess I just really, truly don't see it. Ships simply zip from place to place, based on my observations. If the plot and story being told requires a lot of time for interactions and preparation before the ship reaches a destination, that is portrayed. If not, the ship gets there quickly. I've never really thought much about it in any series (except maybe VOY, where it makes sense because the journey IS the show).