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.
In the 1990s, PD&R assumed two new functions: assisting
in the program regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
(primarily setting their affordable housing goals and
monitoring their performance) and promoting university/community
partnerships through grants and technical assistance.
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 budget and legislative proposals, and in other activities such as approving 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) public use files of data on the activities of the
government sponsored enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac; (3) annual publications of fair market rents
(FMRs), which are used as a standard for determining rent
and subsidy levels in HUD programs, and also as a measure
of the local cost of affordable housing; and (4) a variety
of other publications on the characteristics of families
assisted under HUD programs.
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