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In Ottawa I lived in a quadplex, one of several, all surrounding a common park. It was a nice idea but there were just enough inconsiderate people and disinterested parents to make a the park a filthy mess and, later in the day, not so safe to go to since a bunch of young people would hang out on the kids play structures and scare the little kids away. The parents of the teens did not care. Idiots wreck everything.

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I'd say that's down to poor maintenance and management from the complex owners, not a fundamental issue with communal spaces themselves. I've had the same issues you've described with a local park, until the council hired a security/maintenance man to clean and fix the park, and move on any teenagers who the park was not designed for. The place went from being in a state of disuse and disrepair, to a great spot for young kids and parents to socialise. All it takes is a few people to ruin something, but likewise it only takes a few people to stop that from happening.

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