Article

Generative AI and Formal Deductive Planning for Port-City Transformation: A Wild Scenario Methodology Applied to Cork 2050

Suresh Sood ORCID , Hugh Pattinson ORCID
    Received: 10 June 2026 | Revised: 13 August 2026 | Accepted: 20 August 2026 | Published Online: 27 August 2026

    Abstract

    Port cities face planning horizons that conventional frameworks, anchored in present conditions and insufficiently imaginative, are ill-equipped to navigate. This paper develops and demonstrates the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven wild scenario planning with formal deductive implementation (AWSPFD) framework, integrating generative AI scenario generation with Horn clause-based formal planning to bridge visionary urban futures and implementable strategic plans. Drawing on Scenario Planning for Marketing Action (SPMA), service-dominant (S-D) logic, and a Gedanken thought-experiment methodology, we apply ChatGPT-4o to generate wild scenarios for Cork City and Port for 2050, formalise a composite scenario through Horn clauses, and operationalize via a Python Datalog inference engine. The methodology yields a composite scenario—'Cork 2050: Nexus of Innovation and Sustainability'—positioning Cork as a global Brainport, integrating renewable energy, AI-driven logistics, spaceport capability, and knowledge-economy institutions. Formal planning demonstrates five of seven scenario goals are logically achievable given current Cork assets, and identifies precise enabling conditions for the remaining two. AWSPFD is among the first applications of Horn clause-based formal planning to AI-generated urban futures, offering port authorities, urban planners, and policymakers a generalisable tool for translating visionary scenarios into actionable implementation pathways (In this paper, "logically achievable" denotes that the Horn clause dependency chain is satisfiable under the defined knowledge base—not that practical, political, or financial feasibility is guaranteed). This study presents a methodological proof-of-concept; empirical validation through primary data collection and stakeholder engagement is identified as a necessary and planned subsequent phase.

    Keywords

    Urban Planning, Generative AI, Scenario Planning, Brainport, Port-City Transformation, Horn Clauses, Service-Dominant Logic, Cork 2050

    References
    1. [1] Cork County Council, Cork City Council, 2017. Cork 2050: Realising the Full Potential. Cork County Council, Cork City Council: Cork, Ireland. Available from: https://www.corkcoco.ie/sites/default/files/2022-03/cork-2050-main-report-pdf.pdf
    2. [2] PoCC (The Port of Cork Company), 2023. Port of Cork Masterplan 2050: Executive Summary. The Port of Cork Company: Cork, Ireland. Available from: https://www.portofcork.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Port-of-Cork-Masterplan-2050-Exec-Summary.pdf
    3. [3] EIB (European Investment Bank), 2024. Port of Cork: Ringaskiddy Port Redevelopment. EIB: Luxembourg, Luxembourg. Available from: https://www.eib.org/en/projects/all/20150383
    4. [4] Sood, S.C., Pattinson, H.M., 2010. Marketers expressing the future: Scenario planning for marketing action. Futures. 42(4), 417–426.
    5. [5] Pattinson, H.M., Sood, S.C., 2006. Urban renewal in Asia-Pacific: A comparative analysis of brainports for Sydney and Kuala Lumpur. Journal of Business Research. 59(6), 701–708.
    6. [6] Brainport Eindhoven, n.d. Brainport Eindhoven. Available from: https://brainporteindhoven.com/en/ (cited 10 June 2026).
    7. [7] Bronneberg, M., Pieterse, J., Post, G., 2023. Brainport Eindhoven: Born from crisis—25 years as a Triple Helix Governed Ecosystem. Journal of Innovation Management. 11(1), 36–67.
    8. [8] Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), 2023. From ports to innovation ecosystems: A Critical Transformation. Available from: https://www.iadb.org/en/blog/trade-and-investment/ports-innovation-ecosystems-critical-transformation (cited 10 June 2026).
    9. [9] Lusch, R., Vargo, S., 2006. Service dominant logic: Reactions, reflections, and refinements. Marketing Theory. 6(3), 281–288.
    10. [10] Boute, R., 2008. Simple Gedanken Experiments in Leveraging Applications of Formal Methods. In: Margaria, T., Steffen, B. (Eds.). Leveraging Applications of Formal Methods, Verification and Validation (ISoLA 2008): Communications in Computer and Information Science, Vol 17. Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany.
    11. [11] Ciatto, G., Sabbatini, F., Agiollo, A., et al. 2024. Symbolic Knowledge Extraction and Injection with Sub-symbolic Predictors: A Systematic Literature Review. ACM Computing Surveys. 56(6), 161. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3645103
    12. [12] Carbonnelle, P., 2022. pyDatalog 0.17.4. Available from: https://pypi.org/project/pyDatalog/ (cited 10 June 2026).
    13. [13] Ligmann-Zielinska, A., Church, R.L., Jankowski, P., 2008. Spatial optimisation as a generative technique for sustainable multiobjective land-use allocation. International Journal of Geographical Information Science. 22(6), 601–622.
    14. [14] Erdem, E., Gelfond, M., Leone, N., 2016. Applications of Answer Set Programming. AI Magazine. 37(3), 53–68. Available from: https://www2.cs.sfu.ca/CourseCentral/721/jim/aimag2016fall-dl.pdf
    15. [15] Wikipedia, 2024. Cork Harbour. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_Harbour (cited 10 June 2026).
    16. [16] Port of Cork, 2024. Cruise schedule. Available from: https://www.portofcork.ie/cruise-schedule/ (cited 10 June 2026).
    17. [17] Apple, 2020. Apple's Cork campus celebrates 40 years of community. Available from: https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2020/11/apples-cork-campus-celebrates-40-years-of-community-and-looks-to-the-future/ (cited 10 June 2026).
    18. [18] ASPBAN, 2021. ASPBAN—Atlantic Smart Ports: Atlantic Smart Ports Blue Acceleration Network. Available from: https://aspban.eu/en/home/ (cited 10 June 2026).
    19. [19] Malhotra, T., 2023. What If LLM Hallucinations Were a Feature? And Not A Bug? Meet dreamGPT: An Open-Source GPT-Based Solution That Uses Hallucinations from Large Language Models (LLMs) as a Feature. Available from: https://www.marktechpost.com/2023/05/20/what-if-llm-hallucinations-were-a-feature-and-not-a-bug/ (cited 10 June 2026).
    20. [20] OpenAI, 2024. ChatGPT-4o (June 2024 version). OpenAI: San Francisco, CA, USA. Available from: https://openai.com/index/gpt-4o-and-more-tools-to-chatgpt-free/
    21. [21] Klein, G., 2007. Performing a project premortem. Harvard Business Review. 85(9), 18–19.
    22. [22] Chu, F., Gailus, S., Liu, L., et al., 2018. The future of automated ports. Available from: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/logistics/our-insights/the-future-of-automated-ports (cited 10 June 2026).
    23. [23] NEOM, 2024. NEOM official website. Available from: https://www.neom.com/en-us (cited 10 June 2026).
    24. [24] Oulu, 2026. Nordic Shine!—Oulu 2035: Oulu City Strategy 2035. Oulu City Council: Oulu, Finland. Available from: https://www.ouka.fi/en/media/18648/download
    25. [25] McGilvray, A., 2016. Singapore: The brain-gain game. Nature. 537(7618), S16–S17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/537S16a
    26. [26] Saxenian, A., 2014. The Silicon Valley model: Economic dynamism, social exclusion. In: Castells, M., Himanen, P. (Eds.). Reconceptualizing Development in the Global Information Age. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK.
    27. [27] Gavet, M., 2020. What's next for Silicon Valley? Available from: https://hbr.org/2020/09/whats-next-for-silicon-valley (cited 10 June 2026).
    28. [28] Fuerlinger, G., Garzik, L., 2022. Silicon Valley innovation system. In: Garzik, L. (Ed.). Successful Innovation Systems. Springer: London, UK. pp. 123–141.
    29. [29] Kennedy, S., 2015. Made in China 2025. Centre for Strategic and International Studies: Washington, DC, USA. Available from: https://www.csis.org/analysis/made-china-2025 (cited 10 June 2026).
    Back to top