Exploring inequalities in India through housing overcrowding.

The influence of economic development on the resorption of inequality levels in India is an open debate. Inequality shapes both the Indian society as a whole and, spatially, the different regions of this subcontinent-wide country. In this article, emphasis is given to the conception and to the spatial analysis of an indicator named "Non-Crowded Housing" (abbr. NCH). The latter uses official census data, is easily computed and focuses on the absence of housing overcrowding. This indicator offers a good alternative to explore the standard of living gap in India in terms of housing usage and unveil specific sub-spaces and trajectories within the 2001–2011 period. Census data are complemented with field studies in order to shed new light on the geography and nature of housing and spatial inequalities linked to rapid urbanization. The case studies reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the NCH index, which is able to provide a comprehensive overview of the human well-being, focusing on housing conditions only, though being scale-dependent and sensitive to urbanization levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]