User-Centered URL Design
http://www.adaptivepath.com/publications/essays/archives/000058.php

Garrett, Jesse James
Adaptive Path
2002

Abstract:

Consider the humble URL. In a few short years it's become so ubiquitous as to be rendered invisible. It's hard to imagine a world without it, and it's hard to remember that there was once a time when not having a uniform means of locating resources was considered a fundamental stumbling block to the deployment of any large-scale hypertext system — never mind a world-wide one. But despite the universality of URLs, we often forget that they're not just a handy way to address network resources. They're also valuable communication tools. They help orient users in your architecture, and can suggest whether other options are available.