Por la calle vs en la calle

[dupond]

Is there any difference between "por la calle" and "en la calle"?

I had the impression that "por" might be used to convey a sense of passing through, e.g. Paso por la calle, whereas "en" might be used to indicate an action that takes place in or on the street, e.g. Bailan en la calle.

However, I found the following sentence in my textbook:

Me parece que ahora hay más gente por la calle.

I would have expected "en" to be used instead of "por". Although, I was probably imagining that such a rule existed.

Are "en" and "por" interchangeable in this sentence? If not, how does the meaning change?


Thanks