Orbital stations or even rings encircling a planet are a fascinating option for space colonisation. One advantage, for example, is that you're not encumbered by a gravity well. At the same time, you could be close enough to a planet to make trips for emergency parts, provisions, specialised medical care, etc. Of course, since it would revolve, such a space habitat would have its own gravity (even weather) thanks to centrifugal force. It could even be self-sustaining through solar power, waste recycling, hydroponics, and so forth. Economically, it could also pay for itself through tourism, space-based fabrication technologies, and repairs/food/accommodation/ etc. for near-Earth mining operations and other orbiting stations. Last but not least, it would probably be a more cost-efficient means of relieving Earth's population pressure - cheaper than terraforming Mars, for starters.
Award-winning German 3D graphics artist Alexander Preuss has recently imagineered a tubular "ring world" that takes one's breath away:
Copyright Alexander Preuss. See full version here.
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