Environmental conservation has sometimes resulted in the displacement or disempowerment of low-income or otherwise marginalized individuals. An alternative to conservation by displacement is conservation that emphasizes the importance of peoples connections psychological, social, and financial -- to the places they live. By gaining an understanding of these connections as they emerge at the local level, we may be able to pursue conservation in a way that produces positive benefits for low-income or otherwise marginalized individuals and communities. Public policy can augment these opportunities through the innovation and application of institutional forms that support the dual goals of environmental conservation and community empowerment. In this thesis, I discuss balanced equity cooperative ownership and community loan funds as two promising institutional forms to facilitate place-based conservation, and discuss their significance for a displaced group of mobile home park residents in Athens, Georgia. I conclude with a theoretical articulation of a sister concept to greenspace: that of greenplace.
