And a drum roll, please! Happy New Year! I hope that you all had a lovely new years celebratory bash (wherever in the world you may be!).

On September 10th, 2008 the new O2 World, a multi-purpose arena in Eastern Berlin opened its gates. It now plays host to the capital's leading sports and entertainment events. From basketball and hockey games to concerts and special events, 02 World is the newest place to be and be seen. Follow the link to get connected to the project in ourbania: http://www.ourbania.de/urban-items/o2-world

The Anschutz Entertainment Group invested approximately 165 Million Euro to create this futuristic 60,000 scquare meter complex that holds up to 17,000 people.

This holiday season many of us are using our holiday time to travel or to just discover new sites via the Internet. This Christmas I stumbled upon www.guiding-architects.net, an international network for architectural guided tours. The site is a comprehensive database which links you to the best architectural tours in major cities around the globe. All tour guides have a professional background in architecture, and all the tours are organized by locals.

24 City is a planned urban community that will house over 60,000 residents, accommodate a 38-story office tower, and feature an indoor/outdoor retail center. In addition, an indoor skating rink and 8-screen movie complex will offer a haven for entertainment to the bustling young Chinese community. The project is situated in the heart of Chengdu, China, the city that incurred the most damage back in May from China’s most deadly earthquake. The project is being designed by Callison, an American-based architectural and design firm, and developed by China Resources Land Limited (CRLL).

We have been doing some winter cleaning here at ourbania! We have cleaned up the clutter on our home page to deliver the most vital information in the shortest amount of time. We have created a “Dashboard”, of sorts, which shows the newest projects, comments, and members in the glimpse of an eye. In addition, the information that was originally on the home page has been moved to the Markets page. Got anymore cleaning suggestions? Please use the Feedback button at the top of the page to e-mail us!

Upon browsing the Internet for unique architectural structures, I stumbled upon the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Mies van der Rohe Award. The contest occurs every two years. The next competition will take place just around the corner, in 2009. The winner is awarded 50,000EUR in cash.

ourbania.com recently caught up with real estate veteran Mike Price for an interview about real estate technology. Mike has been working with technology and marketing related endeavors for the RE industry since 1995. The Houston, Texas native is the founder of mlbroadcast.com, a promotion service which uses web broadcasting systems to maximize the exposure of client content. Check out ourbania’s exclusive interview to learn more about the role of technology in the real estate industry.

ourbania: How are you connected with the real estate business?

Forbes Magazine just launched a list of Europe's most bucolic places to live, mentioning cities as well as tranquil towns. All of these places have in common that they make living into an art.

The Forbes expert's top choice was Gaiole, Italy. Situated within the wine country of Chianti it is blessed with beautiful seasons and culinary treats.

Other rural picks were Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France, Burford, England and Deia, Mallorca. They all have in common that they are situated within commuting distance of major cities.

The internet is inundated with new technologies, online communities, and social networks. Even though these concepts may seem rudimentary to some, for others, such sites as MySpace, Facebook, and ourbania are still foggy. This Blog is for the latter type.

After logging into ourbania.com, you will notice a new "Markets" tab between "Projects" and "People". After much contemplation, we at ourbania.com thought it would be useful and informative to create a "Markets" page where we could focus on hot markets. On this page, you can learn more about featured markets and go straight to a list of Projects associated with a certain city or area.

November's marketplace is focussed on Dubai. We encourage you to add your own Projects from Dubai.