Ignite Talk

This Ignite talk tells the story of how the City of Houston joined forces with the Alief Neighborhood to reimagine how city services are provided and how library programs play an integral role in connecting community.

Join us as we review Houston Public Library’s involvement in addressing climate resiliency, fostering a culture of health, and creating a heart for civic engagement.

Located in the most diverse neighborhood within the most diverse city in the United States, Alief represents the future of urban diversity with lessons applicable to urban communities around the globe. The project leverages connections internally between the Houston Library, Health, and Parks & Recreation Departments, while also establishing strong exterior connections to the surrounding 38-acre Park. Library Department amenities include reading and internet resources, as well as a program called ‘Tech-Link’ which includes a maker space, graphics editing stations, video green-screen, music/audio studio, ‘Tiny-Tech’ kids area and more.

Host

Jonas Risen & John Middelton

Jonas Risen is Lead Designer and Associate Principal at EYP. Houston, Texas.
Architecture’s ability to create authentic experiences, enhance people’s lives, and heal communities inspires Jonas. As a Lead Designer at Page, he works alongside mission-driven clients, consultant teams, and construction partners to create solutions that enable organizations and empower people. His passion is finding design approaches that address project goals while also telling your story!

John Middleton has spent his career pursuing ways to improve the lives of others through the built environment. He truly believes that great design makes the world a better place and that inhabiting well-designed spaces in well-designed buildings, with well-designed furniture, lighting, and well-designed landscapes can make lives better, every day. He has successfully worked in architecture and design fields in the private sector but finds his work in public service benefiting people of every demographic to be most fulfilling.
He rejoined the City of Houston’s Library Department in 2013 after previously serving from 2001-2007 and serves as Assistant Director of the SPACES Division. His current responsibilities include supervising the multiple units involved with managing Houston Public Library’s Capital Improvement Master Plan and Projects, Facility Assets Management, Exhibits, Civic Art, Special Events, Safety & Wellness, and more.
His scope of responsibilities at HPL previously included the Communications, Fleet, Inventory, Delivery, and Brand Management Divisions.
While design of all kinds is his primary passion, he also worked as a chef for nearly ten years, and among his personal library are hundreds of cookbooks from around the world.