HOAs are rather necessary for condos. When multiple people own a building, some entity needs to manage the common infrastructure.

Surely the US style HOA insanity is not necessary for condos, as demonstrated by the rest of the world.

If an HOA is being an obstacle to ordinary and customary improvements to the property you in theory own, you goofed.

In general if you bought a condo, you goofed.

The go by different names, strata, coop, HOA, condo, but they exist all over the world to manage the shared property.