Years ago I volenteered with ROMP (Responsible Owners of Mannerly Pets) in Minneapolis / Saint Paul. They advocated for the creation of Dog Parks and for responsible ownership. A lot of their ideas and such laid the groundwork for the modern dog park movement.
I was all for it.
Battle Creek. 22 acres of trails when it was created, with a swimmin' hole etc. No place to sit. No benches. No shelter. No place to cluster up. The idea was to actually walk with the dog(s). You picked up your poop and were expected to control your beasties.
Then they put in benches. And along came the Latte sippin' socializers. All of a sudden people forgot that dog parks were for people to spend time with their dogs, and they became a place for dogs to spend time with other dogs. Pretty much uncontrolled. While the people sipped lattes and discussed the finer points of their Land Rovers and Lexuseseseses.
I don't go to dog parks when too many people are there. Too chaotic, and 99% can't verbally control their dog. Trouble waiting to happen, dogs packing up, getting territorial, dominance displays, toy aggression.... etc.
However, with a moderate or small 'dog density' ratio it is still a great place to work on practical Obedience under distraction. Put my dog in a down, walk a couple hundred feet away, wait till the strange dogs are tumbling into mine, then recall... It's fun to watch all the human faces go into WTF mode, and hear the "how did you do that" s from som many. Point at van, give card.
They used to be great when they were big and had rules that were enforced and people moved around and went to play / train / walk with their dogs. But now, just like kid parks, the owners just cut the dog loose and sit or stand around and typically don't do anything with the dog. Like kid parks, because at kid parks I'm often the only adult actually playing with my kids... They seem to think the dog wants to 'play' with other dogs, when in fact they are missing a great opportunity to bond and build a better 'team' with their dog. Sad, from my perspective, and an accident waiting to happen.