The state of knowledge on climate change adaptation at the international level shows several experiences both in the field of research and urban politics that aim at defining methods and procedures, adaptation plans and guidelines for action. However, the specificity of the issues at the local scale requires further experimentations to implement suitable actions based on downscaling processes. Within the Metropolis project, the research group of the Department of Architecture at the Federico II University of Naples has carried out research work aimed at assessing the capacity of the urban system to adapt to the effects of climate change. The research work resulted in the development of a model of knowledge on the vulnerability to heat waves and pluvial flooding based on the study of the information about the features of the social and physical system.