Basically every neighbourhood will have a 'high street' no matter how far from the centre you are, which will thread along to other 'high streets', and go for miles.
One block away will be housing. The difference from the US is smaller shopping streets will intersect all along the main one, and mix together as they pass the centre.
And no single family homes, just dense residentials.
Battersea's (the street jammed with traffic):
www.gqdesign.com
www.wickham.eu/blog
Whitechapel's leads from the impoverished working class high street right into the main financial district
and passes the second financial district 7 km later
www.rightmove.co.uk
Marylebone Road connects Paddington where it starts (leaving the A40), or Hammersmith
connects up to Kings Cross (5 - 17 km depending on where you reckon it starts)
Goldhawk Road (at left) becomes...
...Oxford Street 8km later, when it hits the city centre - Note even though we're in the centre now these still have the traditional businesses/ institutions/ shops facing
the main street but residentials straight behind (though of course they're now converted to offices/ hotels/ billionaires pads).
Likewise Piccadilly that threads through the upper class mansion blocks of West End London...
...started off as the Great West Rd 15 km earlier.
www.getwestlondon.co.uk
...which became Cromwell Rd then Brompton Rd then Knightsbridge after 12km
www.boriswatch.co.uk
by the time it approaches the edge of the centre it now looks like this, - grander buildings but still the businesses facing, residentials behind:
