noun, used as a suffix
street; quarter; district; area
Suffix attached to place names or descriptors to indicate a street, neighborhood, or commercial district. Common in city planning and addresses.
この通りは商店街です。
This street is a shopping district.
彼は中華街で昼食を食べた。
He had lunch in Chinatown.
通り is a standalone noun for a street or road, while 街 is a suffix that forms district names.
町 is a town or neighborhood, often used as a suffix for administrative divisions, whereas 街 emphasizes the commercial or bustling aspect of a district.
The kanji 街 originally depicts a crossroads and is used in compounds to denote streets or urban districts. The reading がい is the on'yomi.