The city's wire-based infrastructure systems (WBIS) are responsible for the delivery of electricity,telecommunications, sanitation, drainage, and district heating and are a necessity for sustainable modern urban life.Maintaining the functionality of these structures involves high costs and, brings disturbance to the local community and effectson the environment. One key reason for this is that the cables and pipes are placed under streets, making system parts easilyworn and their service lifetime reduced, and all maintenance and renewal rely on recurrent needs for excavation. In Sweden, asignificant part of wire-based infrastructure is already outdated and will need to be replaced in the coming decades. Thereplacement of these systems will entail massive costs as well as important traffic disruption and environmental disturbance.However, this challenge may also open a unique opportunity to introduce new, more sustainable technologies and managementpractices. The transformation of WBIS management for long-term sustainability and meeting maintenance and renewal needsdoes not have a comprehensive approach. However, a systemic approach may inform WBIS management. This approachconsiders both technical and non-technical aspects, as well as time-related factors. Nevertheless, there is limited systemicknowledge of how different factors influence current management practices. The aim of this study is to address this knowledgegap and contribute to the understanding of what factors influence the current practice of WBIS management. A case studyapproach is used to identify current management practices, the underlying factors that influence them, and their implicationsfor sustainability outcomes. The case study is based on both quantitative data on the local system and data from interviews andworkshops with local practitioners and other stakeholders. Linköping was selected as a case since it provided goodaccessibility to the water administration and relevant data for analyzing water infrastructure management strategies. It is asufficiently important city in Sweden to be able to identify challenges, which, to some extent, are common to all Swedish cities.By uncovering current practices and what is influencing Linköping, knowledge gaps and uncertainties related to sustainabilityconsequences were highlighted. The findings show that goals, priorities, and policies controlling management are shorttermed, and decisions on maintenance and renewal are often restricted to finding solutions to the most urgent issues.Sustainability transformation in the infrastructure area will not be possible through individual efforts without coordinatedtechnical, organizational, business, and regulatory changes.