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.

中文翻译：

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通过住房拥挤探索印度的不平等现象

经济发展对印度不平等程度重新吸收的影响是一个公开辩论。不平等不仅影响整个印度社会，而且在空间上也影响着这个次大陆国家的不同地区。在本文中，重点是名为“非拥挤房屋”（简称NCH）的指标的概念和空间分析。后者使用官方的人口普查数据，易于计算，并着眼于没有住房过度拥挤的情况。该指标提供了一个很好的选择，可以探讨印度在住房使用方面的生活水平差距，并揭示2001-2011年间特定的子空间和轨迹。人口普查数据与实地研究相辅相成，以阐明住房的地理和性质以及与快速城市化有关的空间不平等。