[4] Drake herself is known for projects that address social issues and seek to limit the impacts of climate change, believing in the role of soft waterfronts, "in which the line between the water and the city is blurred, diffused, thickened.

"[5] Under her leadership, DLANDstudio received significant recognition for its innovative designs and work, including the Gowanus Canal Sponge Park in Brooklyn, an EPA Superfund Site.

[7] She has received generous funding for work in stormwater management, adaptive infrastructure, and mitigative park creation from the Graham Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

[8] In addition to her professional pursuits, in 2019 she was appointed associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder Program in Environmental Design.

[11] Drake's Rising Currents project, a collaboration with ARO Architects, featured design strategies for urban waterfronts.