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First there was the Old West, then the New West. Now, there is the New New West.

That's according to the Brookings Institution, one of the nation's best-known think tanks, which has issued a new report about what it calls the five "megapolitan" areas of the southern Intermountain West and what a partnership with the federal government can do to help them prosper. One of these new super regions is the Wasatch Front. The other four are Denver, Las Vegas, Albuquerque/Santa Fe and Phoenix/Tucson.

A couple of Brookings' recommendations caught our eye because they touch some of the same issues that Utah leaders are talking about. (For the full report, visit brookings.edu/metro/intermountain west.aspx)

One of them is "mitigating or even undoing the legacies of auto-oriented development." Utah leaders, at least the progressive ones, tend to put it a bit differently, talking about transit-oriented development. While Brookings argues that transportation choices such as parallel highways, commuter rail and transit are rare in the West, Utah is laying track as fast as it can in that direction with TRAX and FrontRunner.

There still are examples of inefficient sprawl development, such as Eagle Mountain, but Utah is at a crossroads. If Wasatch Front cities are going to figure out a better way to plan for a more energy-efficient, land-efficient form of urban living, now is the time.

As Brookings points out, if the Wasatch Front doesn't figure out how to crack this nut, the productivity and livability of our region will suffer. (Think of time lost commuting and deteriorating air quality.)

Brookings suggests that the federal government can help by providing better data and modeling on climate change, water and energy issues. We agree. Increased federal investment in public transportation would help, too. So would a national energy policy that reduces vehicle emissions.

In terms of human capital, one the most important federal priorities for the West is immigration reform. We agree with Brookings that it must be balanced and comprehensive, providing both enhanced enforcement and an earned pathway to legalization. Only the federal government can solve this problem.

Many of the other goals of the Brookings study are more far-reaching, but the ones we have mentioned here are achievable and, in fact, must be accomplished. They should be among the first steps toward realizing the New New West.