On-street parking is an absurd concept in itself. There are no other social equivalents where you can occupy a general public-use space for free (!) for several days (!) without facing some form of consequences.
The side of the street is hardly general public-use. In most places it's explicitly for parking. And many (certainly almost all where I am, albeit not in a major city) parking lots don't enforce time limits or ensure you're there for some specific use of the space.