PD&R was established in 1973 as an office headed by an Assistant Secretary. The statutory authority for PD&R' s research activities is found in Title V of the 1970 Housing Act, which authorizes programs of "research, studies, testing, and demonstrations relating to the missions and programs of the Department." Research priorities have differed from administration to administration, with varying mixes of housing studies, housing technology research, demonstrations, HUD program evaluations, and policy reports. PD&R' s research activities are designed to have immediate relevance to the policy issues facing the Secretary and his principal staff.

PD&R also provides analytical expertise and information resources to help senior HUD staff make informed policy decisions. For instance, PD&R plays a policy advisory role in preparing HUD' s regulatory, budget, and legislative proposals, and in other activities such as assessing the economic effect of HUD’s regulations and setting performance goals and measures.

PD&R provides a valuable service to researchers and the public by expanding the availability of statistics on housing and urban development. In addition to the American Housing Survey and State of the Cities Data Systems, PD&R makes available (1) unique data on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit; (2) annual publications of fair market rents (FMRs) and estimates of Area Median Family Income, which are used as a standards for determining rent and subsidy levels in HUD and other federal and state housing programs; and (3) a variety of other publications on the characteristics of families assisted under HUD programs.

A description of PD&R office and divisions can be found here.