Hi David, A good street shot in B&W isn't any more streetish than a good street shot in color.
A good street shot needs a story. Now, the story can be that a woman is sitting in a pew viewing an icon, or that a dog's gnawing at an icy fence, or that a woman is writing on a menu board with chalk. But the real question is: how interesting are these stories? Is there a hidden, ambiguous element in the stories that forces the viewer to get involved and try to grasp the meaning? These are questions that point toward the likely impact the stories will have on the viewer, and therefore a measure of the value a critic might assign the shots as effective street.
Color is another question altogether. As far as I'm concerned, one of the most important strengths of a good street shot is the graphics. If the graphics are important enough, the shot's probably going to show better in B&W. On the other hand sometimes the picture's simply not complete without color. But that brings you to the fact that a photographer, unlike a painter, can't really control color. Some colors advance. Some colors retreat. If the colors in your picture advance where they should and retreat where they should, you've got it made. If not, B&W probably is a better bet. Even when the colors work properly B&W sometimes is a better bet because it strengthens the graphics.
So, having said that, I'll shut up and let you draw your own conclusions about what qualifies. Actually, anything "qualifies" if you say it does. But that statement doesn't address the question of how well it qualifies.
