LAUSR

How can urban renewal effectively contribute to urban climate? Shanghai, one of the world's first metropolises to utilize effective urban heat island (UHI) mitigation strategies, is investigated by analyzing meteorological and land use observations over the past 144 years. The UHI decreased by ~0.58 °C between 2005 and 2016 due to urban renewal characterized by an increase in vegetation cover and the closure of the high‐energy consumption industries in urban areas. Simulation results also indicate that future mitigation strategies should strive to increase vegetation cover, as a 10–20% increase in vegetation cover is anticipated to reduce the UHI by 0.38–0.78 °C, resulting in potential electricity savings of 3.05–5.79 × 108 kWh/year, which correspond to a carbon emissions reduction of 2.47–4.68 × 105 tCO2/year. The results will contribute to improve urban climate associated with large‐scale urbanization and will provide guidance for urban renewal in other metropolises worldwide.