A Detroit developer has proposed turning Belle Isle into a tax-free “Freedom City”, arguing that lower taxes and lighter regulation could help revive the area. The proposal is presented as a response to the economic difficulties facing large, Democratic-led cities such as New York, though the article does not establish whether the plan has official backing or a route to implementation.

Rod Lockwood, chair of the Mackinac Public Policy Center, said the model could offer a lesson for other urban areas with what he described as substantial tax burdens. Belle Isle, a Detroit island park in the Detroit River, is positioned in the proposal as a potential test case for attracting investment and economic activity through special tax treatment.