A method for routing content requests in a network by a network node, the method comprising: receiving, at the network node, a request message that requests a content item, the request message including a pointer, wherein the pointer is a persistent identifier for the content item that is not based on a location of the content item; determining that the network node is associated with the pointer, wherein the step of determining that the network node is associated with the pointer comprises: determining a prefix associated with the network node and determining that the prefix matches at least a portion of the pointer, and wherein the step of determining that the network node is associated with the pointer further comprises determining that the prefix is a longest matching prefix for the pointer in the network; once it is determined that the network node is associated with the pointer: determining a label associated with the pointer, wherein the label refers to a location-dependent identifier for the content item, modifying the request message to produce a modified message, the modified message including the label, and transmitting the modified message to at least one other network node, wherein the step of transmitting the modified message to at least one other network node comprises transmitting the modified message toward a different node associated with a different prefix, wherein the different prefix matches at least a portion of the label. receiving, at the network node, a request message that requests a content item, the request message including a pointer, wherein the pointer is a persistent identifier for the content item that is not based on a location of the content item; determining that the network node is associated with the pointer, wherein the step of determining that the network node is associated with the pointer comprises: determining a prefix associated with the network node and determining that the prefix matches at least a portion of the pointer, and wherein the step of determining that the network node is associated with the pointer further comprises determining that the prefix is a longest matching prefix for the pointer in the network; once it is determined that the network node is associated with the pointer: determining a label associated with the pointer, wherein the label refers to a location-dependent identifier for the content item, modifying the request message to produce a modified message, the modified message including the label, and transmitting the modified message to at least one other network node, wherein the step of transmitting the modified message to at least one other network node comprises transmitting the modified message toward a different node associated with a different prefix, wherein the different prefix matches at least a portion of the label. determining a label associated with the pointer, wherein the label refers to a location-dependent identifier for the content item, modifying the request message to produce a modified message, the modified message including the label, and transmitting the modified message to at least one other network node, wherein the step of transmitting the modified message to at least one other network node comprises transmitting the modified message toward a different node associated with a different prefix, wherein the different prefix matches at least a portion of the label.