  Starting from an isotropic configuration of intersecting, two-dimensional
toric codes, we construct a fracton topological phase introduced in Ref. [26],
which is characterized by immobile, point- like topological excitations
("fractons"), and degenerate ground-states on the torus that are locally
indistinguishable. Our proposal leads to a simple description of the fracton
excitations and of the ground-state as a "loop" condensate, and provides a
basis for building new 3D topological orders such as a natural, $Z_{N}$
generalization of this fracton phase, which we introduce. We describe the rich
phase structure of our layered $Z_{N}$ system. By invoking a lattice duality,
we demonstrate that when $N \ge 5$, there is an intermediate phase that appears
between the decoupled, layered system and the fracton topologically-ordered
state, which opens the possibility of a continuous transition into the fracton
topological phase. We conclude by presenting a solvable model, that
interpolates between the fracton phase and a confined phase in which the phase
transition is first-order.
