Unbalanced decision making processes, lack of planning scope and a market-driven development lead by high power interests have shaped the emergent Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico (MAVM) with an increasing spatial fragmentation and social segregation. To counteract the problematisation an adaptive planning framework is proposed linking urban morphology, governance capacities and socio-ecological systems as a way to approach vulnerable areas in the metropolis from a local perspective aiming for a collaborative and evolutionary process. Several areas with the potential to become sub-centers are defined in the territory in order to become strategic locations where endogenous development is possible creating opportunities capable of overcoming segregation and fragmentation by means of enhanced economic and community activities. The research recognises five main principles (systemic goals) which through spatial actions that act in a muldimensional level (scale, time and actors) stress capacities for adaptation embedded in the selected locations. Seemingly, potentials for connectedness and activation from a bottom-up perspective are revealed through exploration by design implementing a scenario construction departing from two levels of participation between stakeholders (high and low) and a further evaluation phase through pathways that inform possibilities and limitations of the strategies taken during the evolutionary process. This research allows to conclude that interests and their alignment with different actors, local capacities and operability of the actions taken are directly proportional to the transformation capacities and the effectiveness of the goals proposed by the adaptive framework.