So if I understand the article correctly the cities that succeeded were the ones that allowed for new industries and businesses to flourish whereas the ones lagging are ones that were built on traditional manufacturing industries that have since dried up in the face of foreign competition and automation.

Am I missing something? That seems pretty obvious to me that the industries that wouldn't recover jobs from a recession are the ones already on their way out and the ones that would thrive are the ones that were starting to emerge during the same time period.