Urban Catalyst was a European research project on strategies of temporary usage in urban fallow land (2001-2003), which explored potentials of interim use in five European metropolises in cooperation with 11 international partners. The project was initiated by Philipp Oswalt and Klaus Overmeyer and was domiciled at the TU Berlin.

After finishing the EU financed research project, Philipp Oswalt, Klaus Overmeyer and Philipp Misselwitz continued Urban Catalyst (2004-2013) as an interdisciplinary platform for research, projects, public interventions and publications. In 2013, the publication “Urban Catalyst - The Power of Temporary Use” (Hg. Oswalt, Overmeyer, Misselwitz) summarised the outcomes of the research on strategies of urban development through interim uses.

Since 2017, the studio was renamed Urban Catalyst GmbH, led cooperatively by nine shareholders including Klaus Overmeyer and Philipp Misselwitz. More information at urbancatalyst.de.

Philipp Oswalt continues to run his project bureau that he established in 1997. A more detailed look at his work can be found at oswalt.de.